Shadow
by CaptureMeIfYouCan
Summary: "Once I was an angel, a dark angel, but an angel all the same. I helped people, loved people. But angels can be broken. Now, I'm nothing more than a shadow." There comes the day for us all to go. When is it? No one knows. The animals down, the flowers dead; never to grow or rise again. It is not a sad thing, so do not cry. Death is inevitable. It is a part of life. (Angel sequel)
1. Too Little, Too Late

**Too Little, Too Late**

Jia, gasping for breath, turned to Jacob.

"Go!" she shouted. "Get her out of here before it's too late!" Already she could hear the sound of synchronized marching coming up the steps.

"Jia, what's going on?" Jacob asked. Jia just shook her head, automatically trying to route their escape.

"No, we can't go out the front," she said to herself. She turned frantic eyes on Jacob. "Where's the nearest side exit?"

"Two floors up, the way you probably came in," Jacob answered, confused. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

The first wave of troopers came in and Jia pulled Jacob and Maddison back into the shadows, taking a few seconds to register that these clones were 501st. Her friends. A few of the Jedi still awake came to greet them and were struck down within seconds.

Maddison started to let out a horrified screech, but Jia clamped her hand over the little girl's mouth, effectively muffling the sound. She glanced down at her utility belt; her weapon choice was limited. She hadn't been expecting to fight an entire legion to get out of the Temple. Then she looked at Prima. The animal was crouched down in a defensive position, and Jia was suddenly reminded of when the breeder had mentioned that the type of animal could be used as a fighting or guard animal.

"Jacob, get Maddie out to my speeder; it's on level 6, platform 12B," she whispered, blocking out the sounds of the dying Jedi. She ripped off the hem of her pants and used it to gag Maddison. "Sorry, Maddie, but you have to be silent." The little girl just stared at Jia blankly and the assassin knew she was already starting to sense the deaths of her fellow Jedi.

Jacob put a hand up to his head and winced, but nodded. He tugged Maddison gently in the direction of the platform Jia was talking about, but Jia stopped them.

"Give me her lightsaber," she ordered quietly. "It'll be more useful to me." Jacob regarded Jia for a moment, then nodded again and unclipped Maddison's lightsaber, handing it to Jia. She blinked her thanks and hooked it onto her utility belt.

She grabbed her guns, loaded and readied them, and took a deep, steadying breath. The second wave of the 501st was coming in, making their way deeper into the Temple.

"Go," she said. "I'll cover you. Prima will act as your rear guard." She looked severely at the animal. "Got that?" The animal gave a growl of consent and Jia took another breath. "Ready, set, go."

"Wait, Jia, no!" Jacob started to object, but he was ignored.

She leapt out of their little hiding space, firing at the first clones that turned their way. She forced herself to not think of them as friends, allies. She forced herself to see them as enemies, the bad guys. She forced herself to aim to kill.

* * *

Fives glanced over at Rex. Could his Captain notice the turmoil that seemed to be raging within the clones of Torrent Squadron, especially the ones that had come into contact with the outside world? Did he know how much pain this order was already starting to cause?

"Captain, do you think there might have been a mistake?" he asked quietly, opening a private channel to Rex.

"No talking, ARC," Appo snapped, overriding the privacy settings. "And no questioning orders."

_If I didn't know better I would say he's going to enjoy this, _Fives thought, though he kept quiet. He was glad he wasn't the first wave; he was glad he didn't have to kill the first Jedi, though what he saw when he entered shocked him.

Green laser, firing at the clones from random places in the shadows, hitting their marks with deadly accuracy. Head shots, all of them. Fives knew only one person who could do that, and had a gun that used that type of ammo.

"Captain, Jia's here," he tried once again to contact Rex via private channel.

"Orders are to kill all Jedi _and_ their associates," Appo, again, overrode the privacy settings. Fives ignored him.

"Captain Rex, come in," he was starting to get irritated with Appo for intruding in the conversation, not that there was much of one; and irritated at Rex for not answering.

"Orders are orders, ARC," Rex said sharply. _Arc? He's never called me Arc. _"Ours have been given. Follow them to the letter."

"But, Captain-," Fives started to argue, but was cut off by Rex.

"Follow your kriffing orders and maybe I won't court-marshal you," the Captain snapped. Fives let out a soft growl of irritation, but fell silent.

The green laser shots had retreated, and Fives couldn't pick up a heat signature on his helmet. He knew then that it was _definitely_ the crazy assassin that had become as close to him as any brother. Suddenly someone leapt on his back. Fives let out a startled cry, and immediately many of his brothers came to his aid. By then, though, whoever it had been was gone.

"All clear, ARC?" Jesse asked softly. Fives answered in the affirmative, but the words had barely left his mouth when his HUD started flickering, and then everything went back to normal.

"ARCie," the voice was a harsh whisper, but none-the-less Jia's. "Cough once if you copy." Fives did as she said, and heard her breath of relief. "Okay, don't say anything. They'll pick up your voice, but not mine. I'm going to ask one thing of you and one thing only. Please, think about the look on Ahsoka's face if she could see you now. We risked our lives for a year trying to rescue her. What do you think she would be thinking right about now? Don't answer, and you won't hear from me again. Archangel, out."

Fives saw his HUD go to snow briefly before everything popped back up to normal. He thought, as Jia had asked, and felt tears prick his eyes at the reaction he _knew_ his beloved Commander would have if she saw him now. In an instant, he made up his mind.

"Commander Appo, if it's okay with you I would like to start moving onto the nurseries," he said abruptly.

"Go ahead, ARC," Appo sounded pleased the Fives was finally accepting and following the order, and willingly taking part in it. "Bring some men with you."

"Kix, Jesse, with me," he called out. Immediately his two brothers moved out from the mass and joined him. Jia had saved Jesse's life; he would definitely be more open to her request. And Kix… Fives knew the medic had had feelings for Jia ever since she had first ended up in the medbay.

He took point, leading the way to the first of the nurseries. Forcing down the bile in his throat, he charged up his gun. The babies were still somehow sleeping soundly; they would die painlessly.

"Kill them all," he ordered in a whisper. "Make it quick, make it painless."

Kix and Jesse exchanged glances and hesitated, and Fives started to lose the tight control he had over his emotions.

"Are you daft?" he snarled. "Follow orders. Kill them. All of them!"

He could almost feel Kix's angry glare, but the medic did what he was told. Jesse, on the other hand, started shaking his head and backing up.

"This isn't right, vod," he said quietly. "You know it. You're being controlled. Snap out of it. We don't take the lives of innocents, we protect them. You can't-" He was cut off by a blue lightsaber going through his chest.

Jesse went limp and fell forwards, revealing a youngling, maybe ten or eleven, trembling and staring at the clones with wide eyes. Kix let out an angry yell and fired. Somehow, the young Jedi blocked the shot, but was struck down from behind by more of the 501st.

Appo came up and glared at Fives.

"Are they all dead?" he asked angrily.

"Yes, sir," Fives ground out. Appo nodded brusquely.

"Move on to the next room then."

Fives just nodded and motioned for Kix to follow him. The two brothers made their way down the hall, alone for the moment. Kix spent the entire time glaring at Fives and trying not to throw up. Fives, knowing his Commander would be trying to rescue the babies if she was in the Temple, spent the entire time searching Ahsoka.

* * *

Jia ducked behind a pillar, gasping for breath, the cell in her gun out of charge. She took it out and tossed it to the side. She reloaded the pistol and took a deep, steadying breath. Knowing any type of electronic could be traced, she had gotten rid of the earbud as soon as she had finished talking to Fives.

She risked a peek out from behind the pillar, but pulled her head back when a streak of laser missed her face by inches. She had already been shot in her right arm, and had lost that gun somewhere along the way. Now she was only able to shoot with her left hand.

She looked down at her injury and winced. The skin was black and burned, and it was already starting to ooze pus and blood. She winced, but didn't have time to wrap it. She had to keep moving. She had kept the clones away from Jacob and Maddison so far, but only from this side. Some of the 501st could have already gotten to them from other directions.

Grinding her teeth, Jia took the whip off her belt. She needed a second gun if she was going to be successful, but couldn't go retrieve one without getting struck down. So, she was going to try and lasso one from a clone, dead or alive.

She got a hit on her first try, and yanked the whip back towards her, gasping in shock at what she saw. She had gotten a gun; and the clone had come with it. He yanked out of her whip and fired at her. Jia charged him, slamming into his chest with her shoulder.

They tumbled onto the ground, Jia grabbing for the gun, the clone trying to kill her with that same weapon. The assassin's first instinct was to kill this clone. Her enemy. It's what Wolffe had trained her to do; but her objective was defend and retreat, not fight and kill.

She did take time to shatter his visor, though, knowing how reliable the clones were on their HUDs. The clone let out a string of curses, but his broken visor was enough of a distraction for Jia to yank the gun out of his grip. She rolled off his, aimed one final kick at the broken helmet, and then faded back into the shadows.

That's what she was: a shadow. A killer. Something that went _bump_ in the dark. She was a hunter, a predator; and right now her prey were the men in white armor that she had counted as friends for more than two years. Killing ex-friends to protect the little girl she had adopted as a younger sister was harder than anything she had ever done; and that was saying something.

Jacob still had the earbud she had given him. He would have heard the static that meant hers had been destroyed. He probably thought she had been killed. _It's for the best, _she told herself. _If he thinks I'm dead he won't wait for me. He'll get Maddie the hell out of here. She'll know where to go. He'll know what do to. They'll be safe._

Yet those thoughts did nothing to soothe her frayed nerves. In her shocked state, the little Jedi probably wouldn't be able to think. Jacob wouldn't know to go back to Lylla's apartment instead of going to Derek's. He wouldn't know that Derek would have gone to Lylla's apartment to check on Briley, Lylla's newborn. He wouldn't know that Jia had given Derek a plan in case something like this ever happened. He wouldn't know, and Maddison wouldn't think. It was those realizations that made her run faster, run carelessly.

She had an unofficial ex-boyfriend to catch up to. She had a little sister to save. She had a best friend to rescue. She had a child, a niece, and a current boyfriend to get off planet. She had a family to protect. And so she ran faster.

* * *

Lylla was in the Temple nursery visiting Ciri when she heard the steady rhythm of clones marching up the front steps. Curious, she looked out the window. She recognized the colors as belonging to the 501st. Her friends. But something _felt_ wrong. Off.

And then she saw the clones start shooting at the Jedi who had come out to greet them and she suddenly felt like passing out and throwing up and continuing to watch all at the same time. Then her motherly instincts kicked in and she grabbed Ciri. She started to race out of the room, but stopped and looked back at the other three babies in the room.

She couldn't leave them, but she couldn't carry them all. She sank to her knees in despair. _Well, _she thought, _if my baby and I are going to die, we'll die together; and I won't go down without trying to protect the others._ As the thought occurred to her, the door to the nursery was forced open and two clones, she recognized them as an ARC trooper and a medic, stormed in. Almost mechanically, the ARC pointed his gun at the first of the children, a dark-skinned little boy, and fired.

"No!" Lylla screamed, using her own body to block the boy. The laser hit her knee and she stumbled and fell into the clone. He caught her and then scrambled back, looking thoroughly confused and surprised.

"Lylla?" there was hesitation in his voice.

"Please, don't do this. They're just babies. Don't kill them. Kill me if you have to kill someone," she begged, desperately, looking up at them from her place on the ground.

"Lylla," this time it was a statement, not a question, though hesitation and confusion still filled the clone's voice. Lylla seemed to realize he said her name and she blinked.

"Yes, that's me, but please, just don't…," she trailed off as the clone pulled off his helmet, revealing a familiar face. She let out a gasp of relief. "Fives. Oh, thank goodness."

"Lylla," he said again, and this time there was some sort of emotion in his voice. He took a step back from her. "I'm not your friend this time." As his words sank in, she backed away from him, clutching Ciri to her chest and keeping the rest of the toddlers behind her.

The medic watched, confused and a little hopeful, also popping off his helmet.

"Please, no," her voice had fallen to a whisper. "They're just kids. Innocent. Harmless. Please…"

Fives was torn. He looked at his blaster, and then at Kix, the medic who saved lives, not took them; and then at the young woman standing before him, tears streaming down her face, desperately protecting and pleading for the life of the nameless children behind her, and her own baby.

He had his duty to do, an order to follow, but he also knew killing the babies and Lylla in cold blood would be wrong. He remembered the birth of the beautiful little girl; how much happiness she had brought to everybody. He couldn't take that out of Lylla's life; that one, beautiful, smiling, always shining, always bright, always _constant_ source of happiness and love. He knew that, above all else, Ciri was the young mother's reason for living.

Finally, he stepped to the side, and Lylla felt like she might pass out again, this time from relief, but she forced herself to be strong and steady for the children.

"The others have left the hall for the moment. There is a side entrance that leads to a parking lot. Take a speeder. Find a ship. Whatever you do, don't go back to your apartment. They'll be looking for you," Fives said at last.

"Oh, thank you, thank you," Lylla gasped, choking on her own words as she tried to force down the stream of emotions. "Come on," she coaxed the kids gently. She picked up the smallest of them, the dark-skinned little boy, besides Ciri and started to limp out of the room, but found Fives blocking her way again.

"Only you and Ciri," he said stoically.

"What?" the medic, she remembered his name was Kix, snarled.

"No, Fives, please, no," she started crying again. Fives forced himself to remain focused on his task. He had a duty to do, both to a friend and to the Chancellor.

"Only you two," he repeated. Lylla opened her mouth to argue with him, but he cut her off. "Otherwise, I will have no choice but to kill you."

"There's _always_ a choice, Fives," Lylla told him quietly, trying to get control of herself. "_Always."_

"Let her take one more ARC," Kix ground out furiously. He couldn't believe what his used-to-be-friend was doing to this beautiful young mother. This would be one of the times he wished for Jia; her ferocity, her constant plans, her never-wavering judgment. She would have fought Fives to the death to get all these kids out.

And then Kix was mad at Lylla. Why wasn't she trying harder? Why was she wasting time? Why didn't she just charge Fives? Why couldn't she tell he now hated the ARC? Why couldn't she see he was on her side and would help her? This was definitely one of those times he wished for Jia.

He focused back on Lylla, and saw her wrapped in Fives arms, her shoulders shaking as sobs wracked through her body. The two children were still in her arms, looking shell-shocked, but not crying. In fact, they weren't making any noise at all, which was worrisome for a child of their age.

"Lylla, listen to me," Fives was talking to the mother in a low, soothing voice. "Listen to me. You need to get out. Jia is in here somewhere. She is fighting her way out with two Jedi; an eight-year-old girl and a man. They're heading to platform 12B on level 6."

"How do you know?" Lylla whispered hoarsely.

"Because it's the platform nearest to her when I last saw her," Fives answered. He released Lylla and took a step, leaning down so he was eyelevel with her. "But don't go there. You won't make it. The way you get out is through a maintenance exit, twenty feet down to the left."

"Please let me take the others," Lylla didn't seem to be hearing anything he was saying. Frustrated and starting to panic, Fives pulled her back to him and gently kissed her forehead.

"_Vodal'ika_," it was what Jax called Jia. He knew it would get Lylla's attention. He also knew that that one word would tell her everything she needed to know about their relationship. She was his little sister. He still loved her as one. He was willing to die to protect her. Kix was shocked.

Lylla was trembling with adrenaline and fear now. She nodded her head and clutched Ciri and the little boy tightly to her.

"Give me a gun," she whispered. "Please." Fives complied without hesitation, handing her one of his side pistols. She took it with shaking hands, but Fives knew that she would be able to handle it well enough.

"I love you, Fives," she told him, her voice broken by quiet sobs and gasps. "You're my brother. You're family."

"Get out, Ly," Fives whispered. "We have a job to do." Lylla nodded and turned and fled from the room.

Kix turned to Fives, about to let lose all his anger and hatred, when he saw the tears running down the ARC's face. His hands were trembling and his face was ashen.

The medic realized just how much this was hurting Fives. He couldn't be angry at the ARC any longer. Forcing back his own tears of shame and rage and hatred, he waited for Fives' signal and then raised his gun. He could only hope Lylla was too far away to hear the shots.

* * *

Jia had managed to catch up to Maddison and Jacob. Prima had disappeared somewhere in the fight, chasing away some clones that had gotten their shots too close to their mark for the animal's comfort. Between the assassin and the ex-Jedi, they managed to make good time. But it wasn't fast enough. They were on the platform, almost at the speeder, when the shots came.

"Maddie," Jia cried, turning to grab the little girl. Jacob was faster. He took his little cousin by the neck and shoved her behind him, grabbing her lightsaber from Jia to use along with his.

"Jacob, no," Jia said in alarm as soon as she realized what he intended to do.

"I said I wouldn't die to protect you," Jacob told her in a steady, even, nearly-quiet voice that terrified her. "I never said anything about Maddie."

"No," Jia repeated in a more shrill tone. Maddison was frozen with shock and horror as she watched her cousin charge at the clone troopers. Jia grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her down onto the platform. She dragged Maddison into the speeder and draped a heavy, woven blanket over her.

"Stay silent, stay still, stay down," she ordered the little girl. "The blanket will block all of their scanners." Maddison just stared at Jia.

Jia turned away from the speeder and went to join Jacob in the near-impossible fight. She ran and jumped over a fallen clone, pulling out her knife and throwing it at the nearest trooper, all while doing a flip.

"Go back to Maddie," Jacob commanded as soon as he saw her.

"No," Jia said stubbornly, getting back-to-back with Jacob.

Jacob handed her Maddison's lightsaber and she wasted no time in cutting through a clone that was attempting to knock the lightsaber from her hand. She rolled under his falling form and sliced through another trooper. Another one was shooting at her, and she dodged the shots, stabbing him through the chest with the weapon. She retrieved her knife from the first clone she had stabbed and started making her way back to Jacob.

She was almost there, again _almost there,_ when he was shot in chest from someone who was above them. Jia looked up and saw more clones on a balcony above them. Jia didn't pause to think. She grabbed Jacob's lightsaber and launched both his and Maddison's lightsabers at the clones. She heard their cries of pain as they were cut down, but she ignored it and turned to Jacob.

"You idiot," she said, falling onto her knees beside him, already knowing the shots were fatal without checking him over.

"It was for Maddison," he murmured, his eyes already glazing over and his breathing becoming shallow and labored.

"No it wasn't," Jia choked out, tears starting to form in her eyes. "It was for me. We both know that."

"You're so very welcome," Jacob tried to tease, but broke off into a fit of coughing.

"You bastard," Jia whispered fiercely, the sobs she had tried to keep down coming out, her shoulders shaking, tears streaming down the side of her face

"Love you, too," Jacob muttered sarcastically. Or, it would've been sarcastic, except his pale green eyes locked with Jia's and he grabbed for her hand as he said it.

In that moment, he suddenly saw Jia for what she was. Long, beautiful wings swirled with black, grey, and white seemed to bloom from her back. Her hair was out of its ponytail, long and golden, cascading over her shoulder. Instead of the tattered and burnt sweatpants and jacket, she was in a black dress that sparkled and moved through different shades of black with her every breath. But the most changed was her eyes. They held only love. For him, for Maddison, for Lylla. She was strong and beautiful. She was his angel.

"But you do love me," Jia said in a pained voice, snapping him out of his trance, the two-second image dissolving into nothing but a faint memory he tried to grasp at as he lay dying. "That's why you did this."

"I'm sorry, Jia," Jacob told her, his voice nearly inaudible, reaching up with his other and bushing her hair out of her face.

"Never apologize; it is-," Jia started out of habit, but Jacob cut her off.

"I don't care," he said as firmly as he could. "I am sorry." Jia stared into his pale green eyes, and then she bent forward and rested her forehead on his chest. He could feel her tears soak through his robes.

"I am, too," she whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible. She felt Jacob's fingers gently and slowly run through her hair and then she felt them still. She didn't need to feel for a pulse to know he was dead.

* * *

_So, the ideas came, and I just couldn't torment you guys any longer. Here is chapter one of the sequel to _Angel._ I am still working on Rashomon Job, it'll just be more like a spare-time sort of thing. Anywho, when Jia is referring to her niece and little sister and yada, yada, yada: Lylla = best friend/sister/older sister, Maddison = little sister, Briley (Lylla's second child) = niece, Ciri = niece, Derek = boyfriend, and Jacob = unofficial ex-boyfriend. I think I covered it all. _

_Intense beginning, I know, but I hoped you guys enjoyed! :)_


	2. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta

**Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta**

A massive shift in the Force snapped Maddie out of her numb stupor. It felt like something had ripped her chest in half. The pain was unbearable. At first she thought she had been shot, but she looked down and saw, physically, she was fine. Then she looked up and saw Jia bent over Jacob's body.

"Jacob!" Maddie screamed, ripping the gag off. "Jacob!" She threw off the blanket and scrambled out of the speeder, trying to get to her cousin.

At the sound of her voice, Jia jumped up and approached her.

"Jacob," Maddison was crying now; huge sobs that racked through her body, making the pain in her chest greater. Jia caught her and held on, tucking her face into her shoulder and clinging tightly.

"Maddie, listen to me," she was speaking urgently and steadily, but the little girl could hear the edge in the assassin's voice that indicated she was struggling not to cry. "You need to be quiet. Get back to the speeder. We need to go."

"No," the little Jedi cried, struggling to escape from Jia to get to her cousin. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be. He wasn't able to be killed. He was strong and steady. He was invincible. No one could kill him. He was supposed to be always right behind her, there for her. "Jacob. Jacob!"

"Maddie," Jia tried to put force into her voice, but it broke and she sucked in a ragged breath and started pulling her little sister towards the speeder.

"No!" Maddison was screaming as loud as she could, twisting and kicking and pulling, fighting Jia, trying to get away. "No! Jacob. Jacob! No! Let me go! Jacob!"

Jia got her to the speeder and tossed her in. Her screams had turned to gasps and sobs, and she writhed on the speeder seat, the pain in her chest too great for her to sit still.

"Jacob," she choked out. "Jacob…"

She heard a gasp from Jia and thought something was wrong, but when she looked briefly up, she saw the assassin had punched the dashboard and was now resting her head on the wheel, her shoulders shaking as she cried. Maddie paused in her tantrum and sucked in deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

As soon as she became still, the pain became overwhelming. The Dark side swirled around everything and sucked at her enticingly. So many Jedi were dead. Masters, Knights, Padawan; even the Younglings and the babies. It was too much. Anger and fear welled up in Maddison right along her pain. Suddenly everything seemed tinged in red. She hated the clones. She hated the Republic. She hated the Chancellor. She hated the Jedi that had survived the Order. She hated Jia for letting Jacob die and leaving him there.

Another Jedi was struck down. She could sense it. The pain became too great; it felt like her ribs were crushing her lungs. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't see. She couldn't feel. It was all too much. And then she sank into the blissful black of unconsciousness.

* * *

Lylla stumbled over a piece of debris in the dark alley and kept running. Her knee felt like it was on fire, but adrenaline and fear kept her on her feet. She had to get to her the little café where she had first met Jia; it was the meeting point in case anything like this had ever happened.

She turned a corner and saw a group of four clones. She slowed to a walk and breathed deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. She had no obvious sign that Ciri and the little boy were Force sensitive and supposed to be dead. She was safe as long as she acted natural. She was almost past them when one turned and looked at her too long.

"Ma'am," he said, putting his arm out to stop her. Lylla sighed, trying to act annoyed.

"Can I help you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Where are you coming from?" the clone asked.

"My friend's apartment. She lives in the Temple district. She and I were caught in the crossfire. She didn't make it. I did. The little girl is mine. The little boy is hers. Anymore questions?" Lylla snapped. The clone took a step back.

"No, ma'am," he said. "Carry on. And I apologize about your friend." Lylla just let out a snort of disbelief and continued to the café.

It took thirty minutes but she made it. As soon as she got there, she collapsed into one of the chairs and started crying.

"Mama, Mama," Ciri tugged on Lylla's shirt. "Yamir want num num. Yamir hungry. Ciri hungry. Mama. Mama!"

Lylla sniffled and then picked Ciri and the little boy, who must've been Yamir, and hugged them close. Yamir snuggled down into her, obviously having lacked a mother's touch, and Ciri grabbed a lock of Lylla's hair and kissed it.

"I miss you, Mama," she mumbled. She could tell her mother was in emotional pain and was trying to help her feel better. "But we together now, Mama. We family. I love Mama and Baba. Where Baba?"

Jax had tried to teach Ciri to say 'Buir,' which meant father in Mando'a, but the little girl had been stuck on Dada. Finally, Jax had come up with a compromise: Baba. Ciri had been happy enough with that and it had come to stay.

"Baba's away, baby," Lylla composed herself enough to answer her child. "And I love you, too. I love you so much. I'm just a little upset. But I'm better now. Thank you for making me feel better." She took Ciri's hand in hers and kissed the baby's palm.

"I help Mama feel better until Baba come home," Ciri stated proudly. Then she grabbed Yamir's hand. "Yamir help Mama feel better, too." Lylla smiled distractedly. She was waiting for the inevitable call from Jia.

The assassin had sat down with her, Derek, and Jax one night to make an emergency plan in case something like this happened. The café was the RV Alpha, the first meet-up place. If it, in any way, became dangerous, her apartment was RV Bravo, followed by Derek's apartment as RV Charlie. If something happened to all three of the rendezvous points, Syrus's apartment was RV Delta, the last place.

The next part in the plan had been extraction: getting away from Coruscant and to safety. They had all agreed on taking Jia's ship, since it had been formatted to fit many people from the rescue mission for Ahsoka, and since any proof of it, or Jia, had been wiped from every government database.

Step three was the legends, the cover-stories; the lies they would have to become. It started with Derek and Lylla becoming "married." Ciri, Briley, Kino, and Maddison could all pass as their children, though the addition of Yamir hadn't been accounted for. _I'll just keep up the story of the friend from the Temple district, _Lylla decided.

The fourth step was to disappear. They would get new names, new houses, new weapons, new clothing. Nothing from their "old life" could remain. They would rebuild their lived on a back-water planet. And then Jia would disappear, since there was no doubt she would be the most-wanted out of all of them.

"Ma-ma," Yamir tried out the odd word on his tiny tongue, snapping Lylla out of her thoughts. "Ma-ma. Ba-ba." She smiled and kissed the top of his head.

"That's right, baby," she said softly. "I'm Mama. Baba is away."

"I Ciri-Rose," Ciri announced, placing a hand dramatically on her chest. Yamir tipped his head to the side and furrowed his brow.

"'Ri," he said. Lylla giggled at how adorable he was. "You 'Ri. I 'Mir."

"I'm Lylla," she decided to announce her name to the little boy. Yamir looked at her for a moment as he processed what she said.

"Ma-ma Ly," he stated after a moment. "You Ma-ma Ly." Ciri crowed with laughter, and Lylla sighed, even though she was smiling, knowing the title would stick. She opened her mouth to say something else when Ciri tugged on the lock of hair.

"I tire, Mama Ly," she mumbled, yawning hugely. Lylla smiled.

"Then go to sleep, baby," she said. She shifted position slightly so she could cradle both children comfortably. Within minutes, both were asleep. A waitress came over to the table and nodded at the babies.

"They're cute," she said. Lylla laughed softly.

"I think so, too," she said quietly. The waitress smiled.

"So, what can I get you? Caf? Cake?" she studied Lylla for a moment. "Some first aide and a change of clothes?" Lylla grimaced.

"All of the above it it's available," she said. The waitress nodded.

"Alright, well, I will be right back with your caf and cake and then we will see about the rest," she told Lylla. The young mother nodded and the waitress disappeared into the back of the café.

Lylla took some time to look around. She was the only one in the tiny restaurant. In fact, she could see the door was locked. That was either a good thing or a bad thing.

The waitress returned with a large slice of cinnamon-sugar cake and a giant, steaming mug of caf. She laid them out in front of Lylla and then handed her a small bag of tiny little sugar treats.

"For the kids when they wake up," she told her quietly when Lylla opened her mouth to ask. The young mother smiled and started to say her thanks, but was interrupted by her comlink chirruping.

"Jia?" she asked hopefully.

"Archangel," came the correction. "Where are you?"

"RV Alpha," Lylla answered automatically. "I have Ciri and, well… a little friend." There was a pause.

"Right," Jia said after a moment. "I'm on my way. I have Maddie, though she's suffering from a little PTSD." Her voice sounded hoarse and her speech irregular, and Lylla knew her friend had been crying and probably still was. "I called Derek. He's on his way with Kino and Briley."

"Are you okay?" Lylla asked softly. Jia let out a long breath, but didn't answer.

"ETA about two minutes. See you soon." The call ended and Lylla stared down at the comlink worriedly.

"I hope so," she whispered.


	3. Change Of Plans

**Change Of Plans**

Lylla watched over Jia's shoulder as every trace of her existence was deleted from any and every government database. She was the last. Everyone, including Maddison, Ciri, and Yamir, had already been wiped from the database.

"Good, so now we get to your ship and get out," Lylla said, moving to pick up Ciri and Yamir. Jia halted her.

"Actually, no," she corrected softly. Everyone froze, and Maddison, who had been silently curled up on one of the chairs, turned to glare at Jia.

"Are you leaving us here to die, too?" she snarled. Jia flinched away from the little girl as if she had struck her and closed her eyes, breathing deeply to keep down her emotions.

"The plan is going to change a little," the assassin woman continued after a moment. Maddie let out a wordless growl and tucked her head back down.

"What do you mean "change"?" Derek asked gently. Jia took another deep breath.

"Jax and I planned specifically for Order 66," she explained after a moment. "The plan you two know was for in case the planet came under siege or something like that, but Order 66 is different. There's some planet out, away from the Inner Rim, which is safe enough. It was built to house GAR deserters and run-away clones."

"What does that have to do with us?" Lylla asked curiously.

"Jax worked with and ARC Captain of some sort on a Special Ops mission a couple months ago," Jia said carefully, and Lylla knew right away that the mission was highly classified and knowing about it was cause for death to Jax and imprisonment to whoever knew. "This Captain and his squad with some other people were planning on a clean break from the army. They had a place set up for them to run to. Somewhere during the mission, Jax mentioned Ciri, Briley, and Kino, and this Captain offered him the chance to leave with them.

"Jax turned him down at the moment, but asked for a way to contact the Captain because he had a little sister who would need protection from the government, along with his sister's best friend and the friend's husband, and with their kids."

"Wait, I don't see how this fits with the other plan," Lylla interrupted.

"Ly, what he told the Captain was that you and Derek were married and Ciri, Briley, and Kino were your kids; that I was his little sister and you're my best friend," Jia explained as patiently as she could. "He started the lies. We need to finish them."

"So how do we contact this Captain?" Derek asked, feeling some sort of emotion he couldn't name upon learning that, according to some of the clone soldiers, he and Lylla had been married with three kids months ago.

"Jax gave me his comm number. He'll only answer it once, kind of like a burn phone. We coordinate a place to meet-up and then go on our way," Jia answered. Lylla and Derek shared a glance as they thought, then Lylla nodded, answering for both of them. Jia nodded back, swallowed, and then typed in the number Jax had given her all those months ago and opened a channel.

"You're using a secure channel," a rough clone voice answered. "Identify."

"You'll know me as Archangel," Jia said, knowing Jax well enough to know what he would've told the Captain. "I need your help."

There was a pause, and Jia could hear other voice faintly in the background.

"We've a lock on your location," the clone told her after a moment. "Stay where you are. We'll send someone to come get you."

"Three civilians and five children," Jia said, knowing the information would be received gratefully.

"Copy that," the clone responded. "ETA about six minutes."

"Roger," Jia said, before closing the channel. She then stepped on the comlink, crushing it into millions of little tiny pieces. Lylla stared down at the shattered comlink, feeling that was exactly how her life was at the moment.

* * *

Maddison ignored Jia as she explained the new plan. She ignored Lylla when the young mother asked if she wanted some cinnamon cake. She ignored Derek when he gently brushed out her hair. She ignored everyone and everything until the sound of a speeder pulling up outside the café was heard.

She uncurled herself and stood up, turning her back to Jia and crossing her arms tightly. It felt that if she didn't, her chest would fall apart. It felt like she needed to hold herself together; literally.

Moments later, a man in Mandalorian armor strolled into the café. Jia took a step forwards, silently letting him know she was the leader and protector. The man was still for a moment before he removed a helmet, revealing the face of a young clone soldier.

Maddison let out a terrified shriek and scrambled backwards, trying to put as much distance between herself and the clone. He turned startled amber eyes on her, but didn't say anything.

"You know Jax?" Jia asked, glancing briefly at Maddison.

"My brother knows him," the clone corrected. "He sent me to pick you guys up. You ready?"

"As ready as we can be," Jia murmured. She looked back at Lylla and Derek, silently asking if they were ready to leave their home. Lylla sniffed, trying not to cry, but nodded. Derek grabbed her hand, acting like the supportive husband he was supposed to be, and nodded also.

"No," Maddison said. "I'm not going with him. He's going to kill me. He killed Jacob. Jacob…" she trailed off into a whimper and collapsed onto the café floor, crying.

All the clones were the same to her now. They had merged into one person. The person that had tried to kill her. The person that had killed Jacob.

She heard movement and could sense Jia next to her. The assassin placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, but Maddison shook her off.

"And you let him die!" she screeched the Jia, suddenly livid. "You didn't do _anything_! You just stood there! And you let them kill him! You let…" she trailed off again, now crying too hard to breathe, let alone speak.

She felt her words rip through Jia, though the assassin remained outwardly calm.

"Come with us, Maddie," it was Lylla this time, speaking in her soothing, motherly way. "We can't leave without you. And the clone won't hurt you. I promise I won't let him."

Surprisingly, Lylla's promise brought a feeling of love and warmth to Maddison that Jia used to and no longer could. She composed herself enough to respond.

"Promise?" she whispered. Lylla nodded and crouched down so she was eye-level with her.

"Promise," she said. "Now, do you want me or Derek to carry you, or do you want to walk out on your own?"

The entire time, the clone remained respectfully silent, letting this odd family work through their issues.

"I can walk," Maddison answered. She was still crying, and she still hated Jia, but she was going to pull her own weight. Lylla stood up and kissed the top of her head.

"Good," she said, smiling gently. "Come on outside. I'll go with you."

While Maddison stood up and smoothed out her rumpled clothes, Lylla picked up Ciri and Yamir. The young mother looked down at her.

"Ready?" she asked. Maddison took a deep breath and nodded, and Lylla turned to the clone. He nodded once and led them outside.

Jia and Derek followed with Briley and Kino. At the door, Jia paused and turned towards the waitress.

"Thanks, Si," she called. "I owe you one."

"No you don't, Jia," the waitress, Si, responded. "All I did was help my friend. You take care of yourself and your family." Jia smiled.

"Right," she said. "And _you_ take care of _yourself_ and _your _family." Si returned the smile and then closed the door and locked it again.

Maddison watched Jia hand Kino to Derek and then climb up front with the clone. He looked at her.

"You guys set?" he asked. Jia nodded and the clone took off into the night sky.

"It's almost over," Lylla said encouragingly to Maddison. Maddie just grabbed her hand tightly and buried her face in Lylla's shirt, trying, and failing, not to cry.

It would never be over. Not for her.

* * *

_So, poor little Maddie is falling apart, but who can blame her? And I'm sure you all have figured out who Jax made friends with on that mission. And if not, don't worry, it will all clear up soon. I know my chapter are very short, but at least I get them done quicker! I had a request for some Barriss and Ahsoka, and they will be coming up soon, just not yet. Well, not really coming up, more like referenced. Anywho, let me know what you think!_


	4. Mama Prima

_So, just for a little change of pace, I decided to do this chapter from Prima's point of view. I've never actually done anything like this before, so it is no doubt going to be a little rough around the edges. The chapter starts back in the Temple, directly after Prima chased some clones away from Maddison and Jacob, just to erase some confusion about the timing._

**Mama Prima**

Prima lunged at one of the human-robots; the last one of the group that had been stupid enough to get too close to Maddison. To her little girl. To her pup. And no one ever _dared_ to hurt her pup if they wanted to live.

The human-robot's neck snapped with a satisfying crunch and Prima made a hasty exit, feeling the vibrations of the footsteps of more approaching soldiers. She had to find Maddison again. The blonde-haired human woman had told her to defend the little girl- or, that's what Prima had been able to understand from the body language of the human, and the scent of protectiveness she had been emitting- and the animal couldn't do that if she wasn't next to the young Jedi.

She was ignored for the most part as she made her way to the platform, following Maddison's scent trail. When she got there, though, there was no sign of Maddison or the blonde-haired human. The human man, Prima had heard him referred to as Jacob, was lying on the platform his body twisted in an awkward position.

Cautiously, Prima approached. It smelled like Jacob. It also smelled like that other human, along with scent of burnt flesh and blood. And, on top of all that, the scent of pain and death coated the dead human man.

Prima wrinkled her nose and retreated back a few steps. It was clear Maddie had left the Temple, but the animal could smell fear mixed with the little girl's scent, and knew she had been forced to leave under duress. That blonde-haired woman was also gone, her scent mingling with Maddison's.

Suddenly the animal's sensitive ears picked up the sound of heavy footsteps at the same time she felt the vibrations of many people approaching. No sooner had she sensed it then a group of six of those plastoid-covered human-robots, burst out onto the platform.

One of them pointed at her and turned to look back at his fellow human-robots, before heading towards her. Prima crouched down, tensing her muscles, preparing to lunge. She had learned that the human-robots could be killed easily if she managed to puncture the black fabric that covered their neck.

The first one was felled easily; he had clearly not been expecting the animal to know the weak spot in their plastoid covering. The second one went down without much difficulty, too. The others, though… now they knew what to expect and would be a challenge. One of them tried to shoot her, but Prima simply dodged the shots. She tackled the human-robot and lunged for his neck, but he was surprisingly slippery, squirming out of the way of her deadly jaws.

Prima dug her claws between the plates covering the robot-human's chest, forcing him still, though he still tried to kick her. She let out a yelp as one of his knees connected with his mark, and then sank her teeth into his neck. She bit into some of the hard plastoid and felt pain shoot up her tooth, but refused to release her prey even as she felt his struggling lessen.

The taste of his blood, thick and salty, coated her tongue, and she could smell his fear and his pain, but it didn't stop her. These human-robots were just like the ones that had gone after Maddison; there was no way she was letting them live.

The distinctive scent of death suddenly washed over her nose, and Prima knew he was dead. She finally let go of him. It had taken barely three seconds, but it felt like it had been longer. The human-robot's friends were reacting now, all three taking aim at her. Prima took a moment to consider her options. She could try to fight and kill these men, but she had seen just how dangerous they could be and how much of a threat they posed. Maddison had clearly left, so she was safe for the moment, which meant Prima didn't need to kill anymore. That, in turn, left open the option of flee. And flee she did.

Prima's natural instinct was to fight, and kill, but she wasn't stupid. She knew when she was beaten, or when she would be beaten, and this wasn't a battle she could win. So, she turned and ran to the edge of the platform, vaulting off the edge. For a second she was suspended in the air, the ground below so far away, and then she hit the slanted side of the Temple, and slid. Fast.

The animal dug her claws into the rough material that made the wall, yelping a second time as one of her claws was ripped out. Her decent did slow somewhat, though; enough for her to prepare for another leap, this time onto a passing open-air speeder.

The unsuspecting driver almost crashed the vehicle when she landed next to him. He managed to regain control, and was now shouting angrily at her. Prima responded with a low snarl despite the fact that she knew he couldn't understand her. It seemed to shut the man up, though; he ceased in his furious words and gestures and flew swiftly down to the surface of the planet. Prima waited until he was almost down before jumping out of the speeder. She landed heavily on the pavement, her injured paw causing her to stumble. The man gave one last angry shout before disappearing back into the crowd of vehicles that clogged up the sky of Coruscant.

The animal retreated into the shadows next to a building for a few moments to lick her wound; literally. The taste of her own blood was a little distasteful, but she cleaned the injury as best she could. It was hurting something fierce, but she pushed the pain to the side. She had to find Maddison; she had to find her pup.

She knew the little Jedi would have gone somewhere safe, such as… such as the apartment that belonged to the mostly-human woman that Maddie had lived with for the few months she had run away from the Jedi. The animal took a moment to orientate herself. The mostly-human's apartment was northeast of the Temple and faced towards the sun when it rose. It was also in a part of the city that always smelled fresh and clean.

Prima took a deep sniff. She could catch whiffs of that clean scent coming from the right of her. She took off down the sidewalk, darting past buildings and parked speeders and weaving through the masses of pedestrians. Suddenly the apartment building loomed in front of her. Prima skidded to a halt and stared searching for an enterance.

She found it and forced open the door. Doors, locked or not, had never been a problem for the animal. She always managed to get past them and to wherever she wanted, and this time was no exception. The door swung open and Prima darted into the bu8ilding and down the hallway.

The near-human's apartment was up a dozen levels of windows; Prima knew that much. So, she darted up to the twelfth level of windows. She got to the correct floor and galloped down the hallway. The prospect of seeing her pup again was so great she couldn't afford to go any slower than her maximum speed.

The got to the door, and paused. Something wasn't right. Maddison's scent was barely noticeable; she hadn't been at the apartment for a couple weeks. The scent of the near-human and her child was also faint and old. The near-human wasn't here. More importantly, her pup wasn't here. Hoping maybe she was losing her sense of smell, Prima whimpered softly and pawed at the door.

When there was no answer, she did her usual trick of opening doors and slipped inside the apartment. There was a single light on in the kitchen. Curiously, but also cautiously, Prima made her way towards the light. That was when she noticed another scent, masked in so much pain and fear it was barely recognizable.

A figure sat curled up on the kitchen floor, rocking back and forth and letting out muffled human-whimpers. Assured this person wasn't an immediate threat, Prima approached the figure. She paused when she was two feet away from them and lowered herself onto her stomach, assuming her least-threatening posture. She then crawled the rest of the way to the person and gently nudged their hand.

When there was no response, the animal gently took the sleeve of the person's jacket and gave a slight tug. The person reacted at that, their head shooting up, gasping as they reached for a weapon. Prim leapt back, startled not only by the person's reaction, but at the sight of the blond-haired, blue-eyed human woman that visited Maddison so frequently.

Prima came up to the woman again and offered herself as comfort. The woman studied her for a moment before throwing her arms around the animal and burying her face in her shoulder. Prima took a few moment to register the horrific wound on the woman's arm, but that was quickly brushed to the side as she figured out why the woman was in so much pain.

Prima had no doubt that the blonde-haired woman was crying over her pup.

* * *

_The "near-human" is Lylla, just to clear that up. She's mostly human, but not entirely. Her heritage will be revealed later on in the story. I hope I did a good job with this little experiment. Please let me know what you think!  
_


	5. One Mando, Two Mandos

**One Mando, Two Mandos**

Lylla cradled Maddison's head in her lap. She was sitting on the floor of a ship she hadn't learned the name of, leaning against the wall, with Maddison asleep in her lap. Ciri and Yamir were playing with each other on the floor next to her. Derek had Kino and Briley, both of which were looking around with wide eyes.

A man in black armor, with some sort of six-legged beast next to him, was talking to Derek, and Lylla could tell Derek was getting slightly frustrated. She couldn't hear what they were saying though. Suddenly a blue hand extended towards her holding a cup of water. She accepted and looked up. A pretty Twi'lek stood above her, holding a little boy that looked a lot like Ciri, except he didn't have silver eyes.

"You looked like you could use something to drink," she said, settling down next to Lylla and placing the little boy down with Ciri and Yamir.

"Thanks," Lylla said quietly, watching the little boy as he cocked his head to the side and studied Ciri and Yamir before joining them in whatever game they were playing.

"I'm Laseema," the woman introduced herself. Lylla nodded.

"Lylla Reed," she told the woman. Laseema nodded at Ciri and Yamir.

"Are they yours?" she asked curiously.

"Ciri, the little girl," she answered. "Her father is-" Lylla cut herself off. She was supposed to be married to Derek. He was supposed to be the father of all of these kids, save for Yamir. Laseema shot her a funny look, but didn't say anything.

"'Ri," the dark-skinned little boy repeated, pointing at Ciri. Ciri giggled.

"'Mir," she announced, looking at Laseema, waving her hand in the general direction of Yamir. Laseema smiled, though Lylla caught a flicker of sadness.

"I'm Laseema," she said to the children. The little boy she had set down looked up at her.

"Lala," he said. Laseema laughed.

"That's right, Kad'ika," she said. Lylla looked at the Twi'lek, confused.

"Kad-who?" she asked. Laseema laughed again. It was a sweet, refreshing sound.

"No, his name is Kad," she explained. "Kad'ika is simply a way of expressing endearment. The literal translation is Little Kad."

"Oh," Lylla said. Once, she would have left it at that, but a year with Jia had taught her to pick up on things and ask questions. "Translation from what?"

"Mando'a," a rough male voice answered. Lylla's head snapped around and she saw the man in black armor towering above her, the animal beside him, a trail of drool behind it. Derek was standing someway behind him looking exasperated. Lylla chose to ignore the man for the moment.

"Everything okay, baby?" she asked Derek. The words felt odd coming out of her mouth, especially since they were directed at the man she was _not_ married to. Derek also looked somewhat uncomfortable, but he stayed with the act.

"Fine," he answered gently. "Just asking if there was a way to contact Ji- Archangel." Lylla nodded in understanding.

"She'll be fine," she comforted. "Most likely she'll disappear into the Underworld and won't reappear until someone tries to kill her."

"Or us," Derek added. Lylla shrugged.

"Yeah, or us," she agreed. "But we shouldn't worry too hard about her."

"Who's Archangel?" Laseema asked, looking back and forth between Lylla and Derek. Derek opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Maddison, who let out a strangled cry and bolted upright. Ciri, Yamir, and Kad also started slightly and then all turned annoyed glares on the eight-year-old.

"What's wrong, Maddie?" Lylla asked worriedly. Had the little girl sensed something through the Force? Was Jia in danger? Were they in danger? What was going on?

"Prima," Maddison said tearfully. "She's looking for me."

"Well where is she?" Derek asked.

"She found Ji-," Derek cut her off with a loud coughing fit and Maddison quickly amended her mistake. "Archangel. She found Archangel."

"And?" Lylla needed more information before she could decide what to do. "Is Archangel bringing her?" Maddison shook her head.

"I can't tell," she cried. "She's scared for me, though. I can sense that."

"_Sense_ that?" the man in black armor cut in incredulously. "You a Jedi or something?"

Maddison shrank down into Lylla's side, and the mother glared up at the man.

"Shut up for the moment, will you?" she snapped. Derek chuckled softly, but he did try to placate Lylla.

"Easy, Ly," he soothed. "It's just honest curiosity." Lylla sucked in a few calming deep breaths and nodded.

"Yes, she's Force-sensitive," a different male voice joined the conversation. Another Mandalorian man, this one in green armor, appeared from another room in the ship. "So is the little girl with the silver eyes and her little dark friend." The man in the black armor scowled and stalked back into the cockpit. The animal dutifully followed.

The other man sighed and sank down into one of the seats that was across from Lylla, Laseema, Derek, and the children.

"I'm Bardan Jusik," he introduced himself. "That was Walon Vau. The animal is Mird."

"Walon what?" Lylla raised an eyebrow. _Imagine what Jia would make of these names,_ she thought. Laseema held in a laugh, and the man, Jusik, smiled slightly.

"He's not the welcoming type, so don't take it too personally," he said. Lylla shrugged. She had more pressing matters.

"How did you tell they were Force-sensitive?" she demanded. She needed to know. Jusik looked torn, as if he wanted to tell them something but wasn't sure how they would react.

Maddison suddenly gasped and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You're a Jedi!" she exclaimed. Jusik winced slightly.

"Not a Jedi," he corrected. "Just a Force-sensitive."

"You carry a lightsaber," Maddie pointed out, her eyes flashing accusingly. Jusik nodded.

"I do."

Lylla tipped her head to the side as she tried to make sense of all this, then shook her head. It didn't need to make sense at the moment. All that mattered was getting the children to safety.

Maddison had gotten up and was standing in front of the man, suddenly begging him.

"Can you go get Prima?" she pleaded. "Please?" Jusik's world seemed to shrink to just the little Jedi for the moment, and Lylla knew they were automatically specially connected because of the fact they were both Force-sensitive.

"Who is Prima?" he asked gently.

"My pet," Maddison answered promptly. She started giving a description of the animal and Jusik listened attentively. "And here." The little girl shrugged off her outer tunic and handed it to the man. "It smells like me. Show her your lightsaber and let her smell this. Then she'll know to come with you."

Jusik looked down at the piece of clothing now in his hand and then at the little Jedi. He opened his mouth, and Lylla was sure he was going to say he couldn't do what Maddie had asked, but then he gave a soft sigh and nodded his head.

"Sure, ad'ika," he said. "I'll go find your pet." Maddie returned his nod and stepped away from him, allowing him room to stand up.

Maddison trailed him to the ship's entrance and tugged in his hand, stopping him for a moment.

"What's 'ad'ika'?" she asked curiously. Jusik just smiled and slipped on his helmet, stepping out into the Coruscanti night.

* * *

Prima was aware of him first. He had been getting closer to her position for a while now. She had left the blonde-haired human woman crying in the near-human's kitchen. She had to find her pup and she had to find her _now._

She opened her mouth and inhaled deeply, and was surprised when she caught the scent of Maddison, albeit slight and somewhat stale. Turning, she wove through the crowd, following the scent. She passed the man she had sensed. He was covered in plates like the human-robots, except his were green. Suddenly she froze and turned back around to face the man. The scent of her pup was coming from him.

Snarling ferociously, Prima lunged at him, knocking him backwards through the crowd and pinning him to the ground. Her pup's scent was on him, yet she didn't recognize him. It was all too easy to assume he had hurt the little girl.

The man twisted and rolled neatly out from under the furious animal. Prima circled him once and crouched down, preparing for another attack.

"Prima," the man said, and the animal paused at the sound of her name. The man approached her cautiously and held out his hand. Something soft and tan was in it. Something that smelled of Maddison. Then he held out his other hand. In it was a silver cylinder, one like her pup had.

Prima stood up from her crouch and cocked her head to the side, watching the man through narrowed eyes, her nostrils flaring as she sucked in deep breaths, smelling for fear or other emotions. The only one that hit her was wariness and slight hope.

"Come, Prima," the man spoke to her again, and then started walking away.

Prima stayed where she was for a moment as she decided what to do. He had her pup's scent all over him and a tool like her pup had. She couldn't smell any malicious emotion coming from him. _And_ he knew her name. That made up her mind. She took off after the man, and stayed trotting by his side. At one point, they passed a group of the human-robots, and Prima curled her lip in a soundless snarl, though she refrained from attacking them.

The man navigated through the crowds and past the human-robots until they reached a small building-looking object. The scent of Maddison was strong here, as was the scent of the near-human and her children, and the blonde woman's children and lover. Prima let out an excited yip and dashed into the small building, the man trailing after her.

She found her pup sitting on the floor next to the near-human. Maddison looked up as she entered the small building and leapt up.

"Prima!" she cried. She fell onto her knees next to the animal and threw her arms around her neck. Prima tolerated her hold for a moment, but then pulled away and immediately started checking her pup over for injuries. The little girl looked worse for wear but was otherwise fine, physically at least.

Satisfied, Prima settled down next to the near-human and Maddie sat down next to her. She wrapped her arms around the animal's neck again and buried her face in between her shoulder blades. Prima twisted her head around and started gently lapping at Maddie's arm, cleaning off the dirt and grime.

The near-human mother scratched the animal behind her ear and then kissed her head. Prima ignored her, though. She was with her pup again, and her pup was safe. That was all that mattered. The rest of the galaxy could be destroyed, for all she cared. Maddie was whole and alive, and she was with at her side, right where she should be. Right where she would stay.

* * *

It might have been minutes or hours later, Lylla hadn't kept track, when a man in sandy-colored armor suddenly rushed out of the ship, followed by three clones. She briefly wondered what was going on and then mentally shrugged. It wasn't her business; she didn't need to know.

Maddison had fallen back asleep, hugging Prima tightly while using the animal as a pillow. Lylla smiled slightly. She wished she could take a picture of the two of them; it was a very peaceful image. Yamir had also fallen asleep curled up next to Briley, who was watching Prima with wide, curious eyes, and periodically brushing her tiny fingers against the animal.

Ciri and Kad were still playing together. Laseema had joined in their game and they were giggling with quiet, innocent laughter. Derek was showing Kino images of different animals, and the little boy was studying the pictures with a very comical expression; one that looked exactly like Jia made when she was confused by something and annoyed at the fact that she was confused.

The man in black armor- _his name is Vau-_ would walk through the room sometimes. Lylla made a point of ignoring him. He hadn't made the best first-impression, and she wasn't exactly eager to try to become besties with him.

Vau's animal, on the other hand, was coming over to inspect Prima. The animal raised her head slightly, roused from sleep by the approaching animal. She gave a soft growl of warning and Mird paused, tipping his head to the side and studying Prima. He seemed to decide she didn't mean her threat because he took another step forwards. Prima's lip curled and she gave another soft growl, not wanting to wake Maddison. Mird stopped again and then retreated back to wherever Vau had disappeared to. Lylla chuckled quietly and shook her head slightly. It would be interesting to see what would happen when the animals finally faced off.

The entire moment was serene, calming; peaceful. The peacefulness was shattered in the next instant, though, by Kad. The little boy froze and then screamed. In the same instant, Ciri and Yamir started crying. Maddison jerked awake with a little shriek, tears streaming down her face. Even Prima looked stricken, though Lylla assumed it was because Maddie was in pain.

In an instant Kad was in Laseema's arms as the beautiful Twi'lek tried to soothe him. Derek had abandoned Kino for the moment and was holding Yamir, gently cradling the little boy against his chest. Ciri crawled over to Lylla and tried to bury into her mother's lap. Maddison grasped Prima for dear life, and the poor animal looked like she was suffocating, but she just started lapping soothingly at Maddie's neck and shoulders.

Kad's screaming continued and he beat on Laseema with tiny little fists, upset about something, though Lylla didn't know what. She suspected it was the same thing that had Maddie, Ciri, and Yamir upset. Ciri's voice started to rise, matching Kad's in pitch, and Lylla winced.

"No," Maddison whimpered, her face still hidden in Prima's fur. "Not another one. Not another one…" Prima just continued to lick the little girl, nudging her periodically as if to reassure her.

Yamir suddenly let out a shriek, worked up even more by the other two toddlers. He lashed out at Derek and Lylla jumped up to help her "husband," setting Ciri on one hip, silently thanking the Force that the little girl was just screaming, not trying to beat her up.

The three clones burst into the ship carrying the man in sandy armor between them. One of them shouted something; maybe it was in Basic, maybe in another language. Lylla couldn't hear over the ruckus the toddlers were making.

Drawn by the noise, Mird appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He made a beeline straight towards Kad and Laseema, coming too close to Maddie as he did so. Prima, already on edge, leapt up with a snarl and tackled the six-legged beast.

Mird let out a surprised yelp as he was bowled over. For a second, Prima had the upper hand, but then Mird went on the offensive, clawing at Prima with four of his six legs; snapping at the other animal's throat. They let out snarls, yelps, and growls as they rolled over and over, biting and scratching. Vau materialized in a doorway, and, upon seeing his beloved pet locked in combat with Prima, let out a wordless growl and stalked over to the fighting animals.

At the same moment, Maddison jumped up.

"No!" she cried. She dove straight into the fight.

"Maddie," Lylla gasped, thrusting Ciri into Derek's arms and placing herself between the fighting pets and the little girl. Mird accidentally chomped down on her injured knee and Lylla's leg bucked. She tumbled down onto the floor, her head spinning from the pain. In the back of her mind, she realized they had taken off and were now headed to a, hopefully, distant planet.

"Prima, _paras_!" Maddison shouted. The animal froze, as the command told her to, before catching sight of Lylla on the floor. With another snarl, she moved to stand protectively over the mother, curling her lips as Mird took up a defensive crouch.

"Mird, break," Vau called, coming to stand a little ways behind the six-legged animal. Mird did as asked, straightening up and cocking his square head to the side. Maddison glared up at Vau.

"Your stupid animal bit Mama Ly," she yelled furiously. "What is wrong with that thing?"

"She shouldn't have gotten in the way," Vau said indifferently. The muscles around Maddison's eyes tightened and Lylla let out a defeated breath, knowing what was coming next. She had seen the look on Jia before.

"Maddie, don't do it," Derek said, also seeing the look. He placed Yamir and Ciri on the floor and tried to grab the little girl as she ignited her lightsaber and leapt at the Mando in black armor.

Surprisingly, the lightsaber just glanced harmlessly off of Vau's armor. Maddison paused, confused, and Vau had the weapon out of her hands in an instant. That didn't stop the young Jedi, though. She lunged at Vau again, reaching for her lightsaber.

A clone- _a Captain, _Lylla realized, _he's a Captain like Jax_- came from one of the other rooms just as Derek managed to subdue Maddison, who was shouting furiously at Vau. Words that she had no doubt picked up from Jia streamed from her mouth, and Lylla managed to feeling exasperated. _I'll need to tell Jia to watch her mouth around children._

"Enough of this!" the Captain shouted. "Sergeant Vau, take your _shabla_ animal and go help Mereel. Laseema, you and Kad go to Atin; he needs your support." The two he had spoken to nodded and moved off. _It's quieter with only two toddlers screaming, _the thought made its way through Lylla's pain-clouded mind.

The Captain turned to Derek.

"Take your children to the galley," he ordered. "My wife will help you with them." Derek eyed the Captain suspiciously for a moment, and then turned, scooped up Ciri and Yamir, and disappeared into the galley.

"You," the Captain turned to Maddison. The Jedi glared up at him.

"My name is Maddison, not 'you,'" she snapped irritably. Lylla thought she saw slight shock and amusement cross the clone's face, and then told herself she was hallucinating. She didn't even know the soldier, and she could already tell he wasn't one who found many things funny. Or shocking.

"Maddison," the Captain corrected himself. "Tell your animal to stand down."

"Prima," the little girl kneeled down next to her pet, who was still standing guard over Lylla. "_Seguro._" The animal hesitated for a moment, and then stepped to the side and followed Maddison into the galley.

Lylla suddenly realized she was alone with the Captain and took a moment to wonder whether she should be scared or not. She quickly decided that if he wanted to hurt her, he already would have, and forced her fear to the side.

The Captain crouched down and examined the injury with an expert eye, before turning towards one of the other rooms.

"_Bard'ika_," he bellowed, causing Lylla to wince slightly. "Fi."

In an instant, Jusik and a clone in Mandalorian armor were at her side, checking her over and discussing what they should do about the Mird-bite and her earlier injury.

"Just knock me unconscious, already," Lylla complained. The pain as becoming almost unbearable. Both men turned to look at her for a moment, and then she felt a gentle intrusion in her mind. It was something Jacob had done those first nights without Ciri. He would gently reach into her mind and tell her to…

_Sleep._ And Lylla obeyed the mental order, sinking blissfully into numbing darkness.

* * *

_Alrighty, it's time for some explanations! This is for those of you who are a little confused by all the new characters popping up left and right. They are characters from Karen Traviss' book series _Republic Commando (Hard Contact, Triple Zero, True Colors, Order 66, 501st)_. I'm only going to explain the few that made key appearances in this chapter, since everyone is so tangled together it would be a little complicated to explain everything. So, here goes:__  
_

_1. Laseema is a blue Twi'lek who used to work in the kitchen at a Hutt's bar, and then in a little cafe. She fell in love with a clone Commando named Atin (RC-3222) when he was on an undercover op with a Mandalorian named Kal Skirata. She is the main care-taker of Kad, even though he isn't her son. She is extremely fond of his since Twi'leks and humans can't reproduce._

_2. Kal Skirata is a former member of the Cuy'val Dar (a group of 100 or so mercenaries rounded up by Jango Fett to train the clones. They had to cut connection to the rest of the galaxy for about 10 years). He saved six of the first batch of clones from termination. The Kaminaons had labeled them as "Nulls," or defective and were going to put them down. He rescued them and raised them as his sons. They are pretty much his own private army, loyal to him and only him._

_3. Kad is the son of a Jedi General named Etain Tur-Mukan and a clone Commando named Darman (RC-1136). He is a Force-sensitive and, since his parents are away on missions the majority of the time, is raised mainly by Laseema, Skirata, Jusik, and Besany (she'll come along later). As of current, he likes words that end in 'a.'_

_4. Bardan Jusik is a Jedi-turned-Mando. After working with clones for a little while, he decided the Jedi had turned their backs on their beliefs and ethics and what-not, so he walked out of the Order. He joined Skirata's little band of misfits and has been living at Kyrimorut (is explained later) on Mandalore. He is very protective of Kad and is trying to teach the little boy how to control his Force skills._

_5. Walon Vau is also a former member of the Cuy'val Dar. He and Skirata often disagree, the roots of the majority of their argument and feuds dating back to before Kamino. While Skirata was an orphan raised by an adoptive father, Vau was a rich kid who ran away from his family and his money. He used extremely different tactics to train the clones and Skirata came close to killing him many times._

_6. Mird, or Lord Mirdalan, is Vau's pet strill. Strills are hunting animals native to Mandalore. They have many charming characteristics, like the fact they drool constantly, smell bad (but only to men), have toxic saliva, and are hermaphrodites. Mird is extremely loyal to Vau, so much so that when the Mando fell into a worm hole in an ice planet, Mird refused to leave him. He, or it, is also fond of Kad, so much so its built multiple nests for the little boy._

_So, that's it for now. There are more (a lot more) characters, but they will come along and be explained later, as well many other things. Lylla and Derek will have a lot of questions, no doubt! _

_For those of you who have read the series, please, please, _please,_ let me know how I did with the characters and stuff. And the timeline. I tried to keep it vague enough because I absolutely suck at matching up years and months and stuff. So... yeah. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)_


	6. Unexpected Support

**Unexpected Support**

Jia didn't know how long she sat crying in Lylla's kitchen, drowning in heartbreak and guilt. She had left her family in the care of strangers, _left them,_ because of her natural and overwhelming instinct to _get revenge._

Finally, she forced herself to function. First she found a first aid kit and treated the blaster wound on her arm. Then she searched Lylla's apartment, grabbing any weapon she found. She also took some things she figured would have sentimental value to the mother and threw them into a handbag she had gotten from Lylla's closet. And last she made sure to find and obtain anything that might link Lylla back to the GAR, or give any sort of clue that she had two clone-fathered children, was in a relationship with a clone, or had escaped the planet with a clone and three Force-sensitives.

All the while, she felt as if she had said her final good-byes to her family. Their farewells were haunting her as she made her way through all of the paraphernalia in the apartment. The pain in Derek's eyes as he could only give her a good-bye hug, Kino gripping her hair and refusing to let go, Lylla's held- in sobs, even Ciri had given her a kiss on the cheek; and Maddie… the little girl hadn't said anything, actually. She had just glared at Jia before turning and disappearing into the ship they had been taken to.

Once she was sure she had gotten everything she needed, and wanted, Jia wired the entire apartment with explosives and rigged the door to detonate everything if it was opened. Then she slipped out the fire-exit, reaching the ground fairly quickly.

"Sorry, Ly," she murmured. "I know how much you liked your furniture."

She made her way through the streets, sticking to the shadows. No one paid any mind to her; everything was still in chaos from the initial execution of Order 66 and a young woman covered in dirt with an injured arm was not an unusual sight at the moment. A few times, a clone or two would scrutinize her for a moment too long, and her hand would twitch towards one of her holstered weapons. The clone would study her for a second more and then move on.

When she reached Derek's apartment, dawn was just starting to break. The dark sky was streaked with a milky-white light, throwing all the damage that Coruscant had suffered into relief. It had looked better hidden in the shadows of night, Jia decided as she unlocked the door to the apartment and pushed it open.

"Took you long enough," a voice said as she stepped over the threshold. A _clone_ voice.

Without thinking, Jia dropped the bag and drew her weapons. She fired blindly in the direction the voice had come from, and heard a sharp curse as the clone rolled out of the way. Green and grey flashed in the corners of her vision and suddenly she was pinned up against the wall, the sharp edges of the clone's armor digging into her soft flesh. Her wrists were clasped in one of his hands and raised above her head, and his other hand was against her cheek, forcing her to look into familiar amber eyes.

"Easy, Blondie, easy," the clone rumbled. Jia continued to struggle for a moment, but the bounty hunter had her stuck.

And then she sagged against him with a soft whimper, clinging to him for dear life. She had done this only once before, when he had woken her up from a nightmare. He had allowed her to use him as an anchor to the waking world, a source of comfort; and he did so now.

He sat down on the sofa, pulling Jia down with him. She curled up in his lap, burying her face in the crook of his neck, wrapping her arms around him. He returned her embrace, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

"Fierfek, Blondie," he sighed. "It's always some sort of extreme with you; never any sort of middle ground." Jia didn't respond; her shoulders shaking as she tried to choke back sobs. She failed and soon Boba's neck was damp with her tears.

She didn't know how long he held her, but after what must have been a while, he gently slid her off his lap.

"Go get yourself cleaned up," he ordered. "You're a mess. We can plan who you're going to kill later." Jia gave him a watery smile, though her eyes remained dull and lifeless, before disappearing into the 'fresher.

She lasted two minutes before all her emotions came crashing in around her again. She fell against the wall of the shower with a loud _bang _and slid down to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She was still half-clothed, her hair was still in a ponytail, and the light was still off.

Boba appeared in the doorway, drawn by the bang, his broad frame silhouetted by the light coming in from the bedroom. Upon seeing Jia curled up on the floor, he let out another sigh and started removing the heavier pieces of his armor. He climbed into the shower and sat down next to her.

Water poured over to two of them matting down their hair and causing Jia's clothes to cling to her body. Light bounced off the tiny droplets, creating interesting designs on the walls and ceiling. Shadows took away the sharp edges of the room, giving everything a softer look.

Boba pulled Jia towards him and was met with very little resistance; she all but fell against him, crying again. He ran a hand through her dirty hair, working out the tangles, and Jia leaned into his touch. At the moment, he couldn't help thinking how young and vulnerable she looked.

"What would you do without me, Blondie?" he asked after a while. Jia sniffled and turned her head to look up at him.

"What happened to being the most-feared bounty hunter?" she avoided his question. Boba's lip curled up in a half-grin, but he didn't answer.

"You good now? Or am I going to have to help you shower?" as he spoke, he moved his hand from her shoulder to her hip and gave a light squeeze. Jia glared at him and lightly smacked his cheek.

"I'll be fine, thanks for your concern," she muttered sarcastically.

"Anytime, Blondie," Boba retorted. Jia launched a washcloth at his head, but he ducked out of the 'fresher and shut the door.

"I hate you," she called through the door. She heard his low chuckle.

"I know. Now take your shower."

Jia took a deep breath and turned on the light. This time she was determined to stay on her feet, literally, and as her heartbreak and guilt receded, it was replaced by a cold and angry feeling she knew all too well: the lust for revenge.

* * *

_I just couldn't resist bringing "Baldy" back. And Jia's going to be out for blood. Uh-oh..._


	7. For The Right Price

**For The Right Price**

When Jia awoke, the chrono in Derek's room said it was about midafternoon. Yawning, she stumbled out into the living room, blinking sleep out of her eyes. She was surprised to see a familiar mop of curly black hair visible on the armrest of the sofa, before she remembered the events of that morning. Even now, it still felt as if she hadn't regained control over her emotions, and it wouldn't take much to set them off.

She moved into the kitchen and started making some caf. Out of the kitchen window, Coruscant looked like a battlefield after the battle. Dead bodies of the unfortunate civilians caught in the crossfire littered the sidewalks. Clones marched up and down the streets, stopping most everyone and checking identification. Buildings bore the signs of having been broken into or shot up. Galactic City was, to say the least, a mess.

"You suck at sneaking," a deep baritone voice snapped Jia out of her observations and she looked over her shoulder to see Boba Fett standing in the middle of Derek's kitchen, his bodysuit rumpled, his hair a mess, looking at her with a very annoyed expression.

"Guess I'm still not as good as you," Jia said with a shrug. She saw the worry flicker through Boba's eyes; she had never once ignored his bait at an argument. Immediately his annoyance disappeared and he looked at her, all seriousness.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Jia nodded, but turned away from him so he wouldn't see the tear that had managed to eke its way out of the corner of her eye. The next thing she felt was his hands on her arms, turning her around to face him. She kept her head down, not wanting him to see her crying _again._

"Jiana…," that was Jia's breaking point. When he said her name like that, sounding so much like Jax or Rex or Fives, it shattered her heart all over again. She sank down onto her knees and hid her face in her hands, even though she knew he could tell she was crying.

"They're all monsters now," she whimpered. "They don't even know what they did is wrong. And I had to kill them. They were my friends! My brothers! And I killed them!" It took the bounty hunter a moment to figure out she was talking about the clones. When he did, he crouched down next to her and gently grasped her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"Would you do it again?" he asked in a soft, almost-gentle voice. Jia nodded.

"Without hesitation," she whispered, attempting to wipe the tears away, though more came.

"Then why are you so…," Boba paused, searching for the right word, "…_broken_ over it?" Jia blinked away even more tears and shook her head despondently.

"I don't know," she mumbled miserably. Boba paused to think, and then suddenly had a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Are you pregnant again?" the question came out harsher than he had intended, but Jia didn't seem to notice. She finally met his gaze, and he was somewhat relieved to see that she was glaring at him.

"I'm not a whore, Baldy," she spat.

"No, but you and pretty boy are a thing, and you're uncharacteristically emotional at the moment, so I just had to check," Boba tried to placate her. Jia tried to remain angry, but she was suddenly drained of energy. She just shook her head again and pushed herself up off the ground.

"We need a plan," she said, almost to herself. "We need a plan to get some friends, and then get out."

"Get some friends?" Boba repeated suspiciously. Jia raised an eyebrow at him, and he was glad she was almost back to being the old Jia he knew so well.

"I'm not as anti-social as you think," she retorted. Boba sighed.

"That's not what I meant, Blondie, and you know it," he said. Jia just shrugged and turned to move back into the living room. Boba watched her leave the kitchen, realizing that she hadn't even smirked at him yet. He frowned slightly. He knew she might be acting like she was fine, but she was far, far from it.

* * *

Jia dug through the clothes she had in Derek's apartment. Finally she found what she was looking for. She tossed a black nylon jumpsuit onto the floor behind her. A pair of tight leather gloves and soft leather boots came out of the closet next. She dug around for a few more moments before backing out of the closet. She spun around and found herself face-to-face with Boba.

"Well, Blondie, what are we doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Jia scowled up at him.

"Nothing," she muttered, trying to push past the bounty hunter. He didn't budge and she gave a huff of frustration.

"Really?" he didn't sound convinced. He turned around and picked up the jumpsuit. "I've seen this outfit before. This is the one you wear when you go down into the Underworld for _business_."

Even though he was right, and even though she knew it was very immature, she glowered at him and said in a mutinous tone, "No."

Boba continued to regard her for a moment, before stepping back, shaking his head slightly.

"You're not going to want me to come with you on this one," he guessed. Jia nodded as she turned her back to him and started slipping out of the clothes she was currently wearing.

"I want you to do something else for me, though," she said, looking over her shoulder at him. She saw he had had the decency to turn around while she was changing, though his head turned to focus on her face, and only her face, as she spoke. She felt her face heat up as she remembered the last time she had been in a bedroom with the bounty hunter, and turned her head away.

"What is it, Blondie?" he asked when she didn't say anything. Instead of answering, Jia stood up and walked over to him.

"Zip me up?" she asked. Boba was still for a moment before complying, pulling the zipper up the back of the jumpsuit. It was a little struggle around her stomach and Jia cursed and looked down. "I need to work on that. Kino caused me to gain some weight." The bounty hunter, wisely, stayed quiet.

When he was done, Jia turned to face him. She gave a sort-of grimace of thanks and started pulling her boots on.

"Blondie," Boba prompted when she still didn't elaborate on her request. "What do you want me to do?"

"Find me a person," Jia said, not looking up. "Well, two people, actually."

"A clone, no doubt," Boba sighed. Jia nodded.

"And a Jedi," she added. The bounty hunter glared at her.

"I've already explained to you, I don't do _anything_ to help the Jedi," he spat the last word. Jia sighed and looked up at him for the first time.

"You're not helping the Jedi," she told him. "You're helping _me._ The Jedi just happens to be in the picture."

"What does that ridiculous orange-headed Jedi was always telling people?" Boba asked. He continued in a mocking tone. "'From a certain point of view.'" Jia's lips curled up at the edges, almost smiling, before she became serious again.

"Check the sixth level of the Underworld for the Jedi," she informed him. "And the clone will be in the Barracks."

"I never said I was doing this," the bounty hunter pointed out. Jia sighed again, grabbed two leg holsters, and buckled them on. She looked back at Boba as she did so.

"I'll pay you and make everything disappear if you have to engage," she said. "What's it you bounty hunters say? 'For the right price?'" Boba regarded her, checking to see if she was serious or not. She was, which is probably what shocked him the most.

"Fine," he agreed. He got up from where he had been sitting on the edge of the bed and moved to stand so he was looking down on Jia. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze, swallowing at his proximity. "On one condition."

"Money's not enough?" Jia tried to tease, but he could see trepidation flickering in her gaze, and knew she was remembering what had happened in Jabba's palace. Early that morning, his closeness had been accepted because he was offering support. Now, though, she wasn't falling apart, and so having him be so near wasn't as welcomed. It was an odd double-standard, Boba decided.

"I want to meet my son." Jia paused. That wasn't what she had been expecting.

"You can't," she said at last. Boba's eyes narrowed dangerously and she took a step back, bumping into the dresser. The bounty hunter stepped forwards so he was pressed against her. A wild light had ignited in his eyes, and Jia knew she had made him furious.

"Why not?" he leaned down so his lips brushed her ear, and she felt goosebumps rise on her skin.

"I sent him away with Derek and Lylla," she whispered, fighting back tears that had suddenly sprang up. "And I don't know where they're going or how to find them." The bounty hunter was still for the longest time, and then he gathered Jia in his arms, resting his head on top of hers as she leaned into him.

It shocked her that he could move from ready to kill her to comforting her within a second, but then she realized it was a trait _all_ the clones had. It wasn't something that was unusual, she figured.

"After this, we'll find him," he promised her, his voice muffled by her hair. "We'll find my son."

"_Our_ son," Jia corrected. She felt Boba shift uneasily and tilted her head up to meet his gaze, which placed her face a hairsbreadth away from his. "I know you hate connections, being a bounty hunter and all, but Kino is _our_ son. Not yours, not mine. Hell, I'll even let you raise him by your crazy Mandalorian customs if you want."

"Let me?" Boba repeated incredulously.

"Don't ever fight with a mother if you want to live to see another sunrise," Jia advised. His responding chuckle sent vibrations through her, causing goosebumps again.

He tucked her head back against his chest and laid his cheek on the top of her head again. Jia opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, when she realized _he_ was the one that needed comfort and support at the moment, though the idiot would never admit it.

As soon as she figured that out, she relaxed more into him, hugging him tightly. She took a deep breath, inhaling his scent. He smelled like sweat and carbine, which meant he hadn't taken a shower within the last two days. Underneath that, a musky scent that was purely _male_ was mixed with a light smell of salt. For reasons Jia couldn't explain, that mixture soothed her frayed nerves and emotions.

"Baldy," she mumbled against his chest. Before she even finished she felt, rather than heard, him choking back chuckles.

"I know," he interrupted. "You hate me. Trust me, I know."

* * *

Jia sauntered into a bar, looking around. In the far corner, almost completely hidden by shadows, sat a Duros bounty hunter in a wide-brim hat; her target. She slid into a booth that would be within the Duros' line of sight and then waved a waitress over.

"Some beer for me, and some ale for that man over there," she nodded towards the shadowed corner. The waitress seemed to pale slightly, but she nodded and scurried away.

Minutes later, Jia got her beer and, out of the corner of her eye, saw the waitress hand the mug of ale to the Duros. He seemed to ask a question because she said something and then gestured with her hands in Jia's direction. The hat turned slightly towards Jia and she raised her bottle of beer slightly. The waitress stood still as the bounty hunter seemed to say something, before nodding and scurrying off.

The Duros shifted so he was looking directly at Jia. He made a "come here" hand gesture, but Jia just raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips, silently telling him 'I'm staying right here.' The bounty hunter shrugged and proceeded to ignore Jia. She sighed and finished off her beer. It had been worth a try.

She got up, threw some credits onto the table, and left. She was halfway down the block when she realized she had a tail. She ducked into a doorway, waiting for the person to pass. When she did, she flipped out her pocket knife and attacked them.

It was only to get his attention, though. Jia had known right away that it was the Duros bounty hunter. Only he would follow someone with two guns and a knife into a dark street.

He had her pinned to the wall of a building within seconds, though Jia hadn't really been trying.

"You've gotten lazy, little girl," he rough, drawling voice hit her ears, and she forced back a grin of victory.

"Maybe I wanted you to win," she retorted. She heard a snort and the pressure against her lessened as he stepped back.

"You got my attention," he stated shortly. "What do you want?"

"Never one to waste time," Jia commented mildly.

"Wasted time gets you killed," the bounty hunter responded. Jia opened her mouth to say something, but he spoke over her. "I asked you, little girl, what do you want?"

Jia raised an eyebrow and cocked a hip, taking up her 'I'll tell you when I want to' stance, and thought she saw a flicker of amusement cross his face.

"The payment better be good, too," he added. Jia resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but the fact he did this for nothing more than the money was the reason she had chosen him.

"For the right price," she mused out loud. "That's your code, isn't it?" The Duros smirked.

"I don't have a code, little girl," he informed her. "Makes you predictable; gets you killed. Now what do you want?"

Jia shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. It seemed to work; a look of mild annoyance made his lips twist slightly, but he otherwise didn't react. At last she answered.

"I want to hire the famous Cad Bane for a job."

The bounty hunter was still for a moment, before he smirked at her.

"You must be in deep fodder to ask someone like me for help," he said smugly. Jia narrowed her eyes at him.

"Maybe I just want to be your new best friend," she shot back. Bane snorted disbelievingly.

"I remember you tryin' to kill me," he said blatantly. Jia shrugged.

"You tried to kill me, too," she reminded him. "Besides, I believe I paid you to walk away." Bane glared at her for a moment.

"You did," he said grudgingly. Jia smirked, but didn't say anything.

Suddenly the Duros had his gun out and fired at her. Jia ducked and rolled, drawing her twin pistols and returning fire. She darted around behind the bounty hunter, and then up under his arms. He was obviously startled by her bold move, and it was just enough for her to place one gun to his neck and the other to his forehead.

They were still for a moment before Bane chuckled.

"Not bad for a human, little girl," he complemented. He holstered his weapon, but Jia didn't move. Only when she was sure he wouldn't try something like that again did she slowly step back and slide her guns back into her holsters.

"I do like to surprise people," she said, refraining from rolling her eyes. Bane studied her for a long moment, and then nodded slightly.

Jia watched him carefully, fully expecting another attack. When he spoke, though, it wasn't what she had expected him to say. He nodded his head once and tipped his hat slightly towards her.

"Cad Bane, at your service." Then, almost as an afterthought, added, "Little girl."


	8. Annoyance

**Annoyance**

It was one thing to be hired by some rich Sith/politician for a hunting trip. It was another thing entirely to be hired by a woman many years younger than him for a smuggler's job. The job would be easy, no doubt, and the amount she promised him was good, but Cad Bane couldn't help but be annoyed. And, it didn't help that- despite the fact that she was a _Human_ and was surprisingly young- she was good at what she did; and what she did was the same thing he did.

"I'm not a babysitter, little girl," he told her as they prepped his ship for leaving the planet safely and undetected. Jia glanced over at him, lifting an eyebrow.

"Really? You seem to be doing a pretty good job with me," she retorted. Bane let out a hiss through his nose and turned back to what he was doing.

That was another thing: she was clever. And clever people always annoyed him. He liked being the smartest person in the room, and with _her_, he had the feeling he _wasn't._ It didn't help him like her one bit.

He did his best to ignore her as she moved expertly around his ship, setting up defenses and securities in every computer system he had. She definitely knew what she was doing. It only fueled his annoyance.

The worst part probably was the fact that she was _decent_ for a Human woman. Cad Bane had never liked Humans. They were disgusting and arrogant, mostly fueled by greed; whether it be for money or food or power or even sexual pleasure. It wasn't unusual for a lonely Human woman to walk into a bar and start trying to seduce a male. And, unfortunately, they seemed to be drawn to him.

This woman, though; this… he found it difficult to call her a woman, because she was barely older than a girl. This _person_ seemed to ignore the fact that he was male, and relationship-free, and someone who was usually looking for a good time. It was infuriating because he wanted a reason to tell her to go away and leave him alone; to only contact him through comlink, but she wasn't giving him one. Just more proof she knew what the hell she was doing.

That meant she had a plan. Clever people with plans were dangerous, especially if you were working for them. Bane was regretting his decision to accept her offer more and more, but he had made the deal, and he wasn't one to go back on his promises, be those good or bad.

Her head popped around the corner, her eyes curious.

"Why the long face?" it wasn't a friendly question, but it wasn't mean either. It was neutral.

"Mind your business, little girl," Bane snapped, narrowing his red eyes at her. Jia smirked.

"I do, and, sadly for you, right now, _you_ are my business." Well, he had been right about the clever part. She was no doubt a first-rate smartass.

Her head disappeared back into the cockpit, where she was working, and Bane forced a clamp on his emotions. Emotions were bad. They caused you to make stupid decision and got you killed. Emotions weren't worth the energy it took to cause them. Yet, just this once, emotions were definitely running high through Bane. His annoyance shot up another notch.

It was all this _girl's_ fault. She was infuriatingly calm and innocent-looking, though he had seen the dark gleam in her eyes that proved she was able to do what needed to be done. She hadn't yet responded to his goading or insults, simply giving an even retort that shut him up because he couldn't think of anything as a comeback.

"_Dopa-maskey goola dumpa," _he snarled the insults under his breath, but the girl heard them anyways.

"Say something, bubba?" her voice carried from the cockpit. Even her _voice_, with its slight, oddly sweet lilting accent, sent trickles of irritation through him.

"When are your friends going to be here?" Bane ignored her question. Jia tipped her head to the side and put a finger to her ear, and Bane was suddenly aware that she was wired.

"You're in luck," she answered. "My _friends_ are a few minutes away. And, Bane-" she gave him a hard glare "-please try to behave yourself."

Bane almost lost his temper. She was trying to tell him to _behave_? That was one step too far.

"I don't follow orders well, little girl," he threatened. Jia just met his gaze evenly.

"Then I'll take my business somewhere else," she said. Bane grimaced. She had that leverage over him; he had been drawn in by the amount she was offering, knowing he wouldn't get it anywhere else. And she knew that.

"I'll do my best," he ground out. Jia smiled at him sweetly; her annoying little "innocent-girl" smile that irked him so much.

"I'm glad to hear it." She turned back to the nav console, where she was currently scrambling the data so if anyone on the outside tried to figure out their trajectory course, they wouldn't be able to.

Bane let out a soft growl and turned his back to her. It was easier to ignore her when he couldn't see her. Only a few minutes, and then he would be rid of her. He started counting down the seconds.

* * *

_Just a fun little scene of Cad Bane and Jia. I just couldn't resist, especially since he is not particularly fond of her. Let me know what you think!_


	9. Secrets And Confessions

**Secrets And Confessions**

Lylla came back to the waking world about halfway through the trip. Her knee still hurt, but it was more like an aching throb; no longer the searing pain it had been when Jusik had put her to sleep.

She sat up and blinked, trying to get the room to stop spinning. She figured the dizziness was probably a side-effect of the bite or any medication she had been given; or both. With slow, steady movements, she stood and then walked to the closed door of the room. She tried it and found it wasn't locked; they hadn't been trying to keep prisoner, just give her privacy. That soothed Lylla's nerves slightly and made her start to think she could trust these people.

A child's cry made her snap out of her thoughts. _I need to go help Derek with the kids!_ She started making her way rapidly to the galley, where she remembered the Captain had ordered Derek to take the kids. She was in the middle of the hall when she heard a gasping breath and a quiet sob: someone trying hard not to cry and failing miserably.

She tracked the sound to a door that was ajar. Cautiously, she peeked around the slightly open door and saw the man in sandy armor sitting on some cargo crates, his head buried in his hands, his helmet thrown carelessly to the side. It took Lylla a moment to realize he was the one crying. She pushed the door open a little more and tried to walk soundlessly into the room.

She failed to see the broken glass that littered the floor; remnants of on object that the man had thrown at the floor out of anger. The glass crunched under her soft shoes and the man's head snapped up. Lylla froze under the glare he was giving her, staring back with wide, startled eyes.

"Can I help you?" the man asked in a clipped tone. Lylla slowly straightened up and took a deep breath, trying to figure out the best way to answer.

"I was looking for the galley," she said at last. "I think I got last." At least it was _mostly _true. The man's eyes narrowed angrily, and Lylla had the sneaking suspicion he knew it wasn't the complete truth.

"The galley's that way," he growled at last, nodding to his left. Lylla nodded her head and turned to leave, then hesitated. She turned back towards the man, her motherly instincts of 'provide comfort' getting the better of her.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. The man's eyes narrowed further and his hand clenched into a fist, and Lylla was sure she'd gone too far. Then he broke down again, his head hanging, tears running down his face.

Lylla was at his side in an instant, cradling his head against her shoulder, rubbing his back soothingly even though she figured he couldn't feel it through his armor.

"Shh, shh," she said quietly. "It'll be okay. Everything's going to be okay. Shh…" She didn't ask what was wrong; it wasn't her business. She just held this man, gently rocking him back and forth. She had the feeling it was only the beginning of a long time where everyone would need comfort; even her. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

"Thank you, lass," the man spoke up after a while, slightly startling Lylla. She released him from her embrace and stepped back.

"I didn't mean to intrude," she mumbled, suddenly feeling like she was a child again, awaiting a scolding for something. The man tried to grin, but it didn't work out so well.

"It's okay," the man assured her. "What's your name?"

"Lylla Reed," Lylla answered immediately, feeling relieved. Simple questions like these she could handle easily. The man nodded and held out his hand.

"Kal Skirata," he introduced himself. Lylla shook his hand, taking the time to study the man. He was short and wiry, with greying hair and fierce, hard eyes. She had no doubt this man was as lethal and dangerous as any of the clones; maybe more so.

"Your name is familiar," she told him after a moment. Skirata raised an eyebrow.

"I helped train some of the clones on Kamino," he informed her. _Like Jia,_ Lylla wanted to say, but she stopped herself. She couldn't place it, but this man's name had been mentioned _somewhere_ and she had either been part of the conversation or within hearing range and had accidentally overheard it.

"Well, I've never been to Kamino, so that can't be where I know your name from," she tried to make the man smile again. Smiles were good. Smiles meant the start of healing. She got a sort-of grimace, which she decided to settle for.

"You are the sister of Jiana White?" Skirata asked after a moment. Lylla nodded slowly. More lies to tell. More lies to live. She didn't know how Jia did it.

"Who is your clone lover?" the question was so blunt and hard, Lylla froze for a moment before she could gather her wits.

"What makes you think I have a clone lover?" she retorted. Skirata raised an eyebrow, amused.

"I know what a child of one of these men looks like, and you have three with you," he said. Lylla sighed heavily. She sat down next to Skirata.

It had only been maybe a day and a half since leaving Coruscant; that meant maybe two days since Order 66, but it felt like forever ago. And it felt as if this man was the father she had lacked for a long time. She wanted to trust and like him, and she wanted him to trust and like her.

"Can I trust you with a secret?" she asked hesitantly. "Well, more like a dozen secrets, but still." Skirata's lips twisted up in an amused grimace.

"I am a mercenary, _dal'ika," _he told her. "I am not to be trusted with anyone's secrets."

"These soldiers trust you," Lylla pointed out. "And you share a lot of secrets with them." Skirata looked at her with something that might've been approval.

"You're observant for a civilian," he sounded surprised. Lylla held back a grimace.

"Thanks, I think," she said. "But, yes or no?" Skirata sighed, but nodded.

"Yes, you can trust me with a secret or two." Lylla nodded and sucked in a deep breath. If Jia found out, the assassin would never forgive her.

"Captain Jax of Shadow Squad is my husband, and lover. The two little girls are his. The blonde little boy belongs to Jiana; he is the son of the bounty hunter Boba Fett." As she was speaking, Skirata made a carefully neutral face.

"You surround yourself with an interesting group of people," he commented at last. Lylla rolled her eyes and continued.

"Ciri is Force-sensitive and was sent to the Jedi Temple. An ex-Jedi named Jacob Lakes, distant relative of Maddison Suszko, would help sneak me in to visit her. I was there when the order went out. I tried to rescue all the kids, but these two clone troopers came in, and one raised his guns and-," Lylla broke off, gasping as her emotions suddenly threatened to overwhelm her. She choked back sobs and carried on. "He turned out to be ARC trooper Fives. He's a good friend. He was going to let me escape with only Ciri, but the other clone, a medic named Kix, convinced him to let me take one more. Yamir was already in my arms, so I ran out with him. And I left those other ones. And I heard them shoot…" The sobs broke free and Lylla's story died down.

Skirata placed a gentle hand on her arm and she sucked in ragged breaths, trying to calm down. She had cried so much during the last two or so days, she was sure her body was going to run out of tears at any minute.

"I ran. I ran and ran. I came across a squad. I lied to them. And I ran again. Then Jia came to meet me and with Maddie. The Jedi, Jacob, had been killed protecting the two of them from a group of clones that attacked them on the landing platform. Maddie's pet was left behind; she had chased off some of the clones that got too close.

"Derek came next, with Briley and Kino. He had just dropped everything and left with them. He's so sweet; Jia chose well."

"Jia chose well?" Skirata repeated suspiciously, leaning away from her. Lylla mentally cursed and winced.

"Derek and Jia are dating," she confessed. "And Jia is Jax's _vodal'ika._" Skirata's suspicion visibly faded into curiosity.

"You just said the little boy was sired by Fett," he reminded her. "And you know some Mando'a."

"Jia was on a job with Fett, and it turned sideways, and she had to sleep with him or be killed or something crazy like that. The idiots forgot to use protection and he got her pregnant," Lylla explained. "And, yes, I know a little Mando'a. Jax and Rex and Cody and them all used some words of it around us, so we picked it up. And Fives-" Lylla took a steadying breath before continuing "-Fives called me little sister when he let me go." Skirata gave her arm a slight squeeze, silently reminding her he was there.

"We and them," Skirata had picked those words out of her explanation. "Who is 'we' and 'them'?" Lylla shot him an exasperated look.

"You don't miss much, do you?" she asked. Skirata just regarded patiently and she sighed again. "Ahsoka Tano was kidnapped and Jia put a team together to hunt her down."

"The apprentice of the _jetti _Anakin Skywalker?" Skirata hissed. Lylla flinched away from him, but nodded.

"She was close friends with Jia. We spent almost a year and a half looking for her," Lylla answered. "Jia led us through hell and back searching for her friend while all the Jedi did was sit and debate whether they had the resources to spare." Lylla spat the last part with a fury she had kept locked carefully away. She respected the Jedi and their abilities, but it had made her beyond angry when she found out they weren't exactly putting 'find Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Padawan' high on the to-do list.

Skirata looked amused again.

"You don't like the Jedi," he stated.

"I don't like someone who leaves family or friends behind," Lylla corrected. Skirata winced slightly at that and pulled his hand off Lylla's arm. Suspicion arose in her, but she pushed it aside. Again, it wasn't her business.

"Why would Captain Jax lie about you?" Skirata asked after a couple tense minutes.

"He and Jia are one of a kind. They both hide behind webs of lies and cons and broken rules, digging a hole so deep it is impossible for anyone to dig them, and anyone they bring with them, out. He thought it would be safer for Derek and me if no one knew I was his wife and he had two daughters," Lylla told the elder man. "It is a hard life they've decided to live, and it eventually catches up to them, but they always seem to escape."

Skirata had been studying Lylla during her little speech with a facial expression she couldn't decipher.

"You do love him, don't you, lass?" he asked after a moment. Lylla looked startled, but she nodded.

"With my whole heart and more," she answered quietly. Skirata swallowed hard and nodded, and Lylla saw the tears in the edge of his eyes.

"You gave him a life, something worth fighting for," the man whispered. Lylla nodded again.

"I did try," she said softly. "I really did." Skirata nodded a second time.

"You all just should've told the truth from the start," he chastised gently, automatically slipping into the father role he played so often. Lylla winced.

"I know," she sighed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Skirata."

"Just Kal, lass," Skirata corrected her. Lylla gave him a hesitant grin and stood up.

"I still need to get to the galley to check on Derek and the kids," she said. Skirata raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"You do," he agreed. Lylla rolled her eyes again and turned to leave. When she reached the door, she paused and looked back at the Mando sitting on the crate.

"Will you keep my secrets, please, Mr. Kal?" she asked. Skirata met her gaze.

"There are no secrets in this _aliit_," he told her. Lylla nodded; she knew enough Mando'a to know that meant _clan._

"I respect that, Mr. Kal, but my family and I are not part of your _aliit,_" she argued back gently. Skirata actually laughed, though he immediately sobered.

"Like it or not, lass, you joined as soon as you stepped aboard this ship," he said. Lylla's posture took up a defeated stance, but she nodded.

"Thank you for accepting us," she said formerly.

"You are family, _dal'ika,_" Skirata softened his tone considerably. "We always accept family."

"I am not family, Mr. Kal," Lylla corrected. "I am like a very distant relative you just found out about. Do not accept me yet."

"Is there a reason we shouldn't?" Skirata's suspicious tone returned, but Lylla met his gaze evenly.

"I spent over a year with an assassin and a slightly rebellious Jedi," she reminded him. "I have learned to keep secrets a lot like they do."

"I just said we don't keep secrets," Skirata reprimanded. Lylla's gaze didn't waver.

"And I just said we are not part of your clan," she retorted. "I would like to be, but there are some things not to be said. Or done. I have participated in some things that have made many people very angry. There is good reason to believe I would lead trouble to your family."

"Are you going to leave, then?" Skirata asked, getting tired of her words games. Lylla hesitated, and he nodded. "I thought that much. I will tell your secrets if you don't want to tell them yourself, but I will not keep them. And neither will you."

Lylla just blinked at him and then turned and left him sitting on his crate with the broken glass on the surrounding floor.

* * *

Lylla sat in the back corner of the galley, cradling Kino against her chest. Skirata had gathered everyone for a "meeting," so everyone would know what had happened and what was happening. Lylla also had no doubt he would tell everyone about the lies Jax had started and the rest of them had continued.

She looked down at the little boy in her arms. He had Jia's blonde hair, though it was straight, and her bright blue eyes. His skin was the same dusky color of the clones' and Lylla could already see he would be tall and strong like his father.

She wanted to weep for her best friend's child. His father would probably never come visit him, and his mother had shipped him off to some foreign planet she didn't know about with a group of people she had just met. He would, of course, be raised and loved by Lylla and Derek. _And any of these people, I guess,_ Lylla realized. It was still a horrible way to grow up; never knowing your parents.

She sensed rather than saw someone slide into the seat across from her. Naturally she assumed it was Derek.

"How are the other kids?" she asked without looking up from Kino. As she looked closer, she saw he actually had flecks of amber sprinkling his startlingly blue irises. He stared up at her with an expression of absolute adoration that took her breath away. Kino had definitely inherited his mother's facial expressions.

"Umm, I think your husband finally got the three youngest asleep," a voice that was absolutely not Derek's answered. Lylla's head snapped up and she found herself staring at a clone face. She blinked and did a double-take. It was still a clone face, and it was still sitting in front of her.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else," she said tiredly. Her knee was starting to throb again and she felt absolutely exhausted from the strain of emotions. The clone grinned.

"I know," he told her. "You thought I was your husband." Lylla opened her mouth to answer, then bowed her head.

"You look like him," she whispered. The clone's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Really?" He looked over at Derek, and Lylla almost smiled. Derek, with his pale hair, pale skin, and pale eyes, looked nothing like any of the clones.

"Yes, you do," she told him. The clone got the same look Jax would get when he was trying to figure out a puzzle that should fit, but didn't quite. Lylla was about to explain when Ciri ran squealing through the galley. _I thought he just said she was asleep._

Lylla looked in the direction the little girl was running and saw the clone that had treated her earlier. He was the one that looked most like Jax, she noticed. _But he's not Jax. He said his name is Fi. _Dread settled over her as she realized what Ciri must see and be thinking.

"Baba!" the toddler cried happily, latching herself onto Fi's left calf and clinging tightly. Fi looked absolutely bewildered, and Lylla did smile slightly.

"Ly, can you get her?" Derek sounded exasperated and Lylla saw he was busy restraining Yamir and Briley, who were both trying to follow Ciri, though Briley couldn't yet walk. She glanced down at Kino in her arms and then back up, trying to decide what to do.

"I'll hold him," the clone sitting across from her offered. Lylla shot him a grateful glance and gently settled Kino in his arms. The soldier held the little boy as if he were used to children and comfortable around them. Lylla wanted to ask, but didn't; she was sure she would find out soon enough.

As she approached Ciri and Fi, Skirata met her gaze and gave her a knowing look, and Lylla winced; everyone else was in the galley by now. _Why couldn't this have happened earlier?_ Crouching down, she got eye-level with Ciri and met the girl's gaze.

"Come on, let go of Fi, baby," she ordered gently. Ciri stubbornly shook her head and tightened her grip.

"Baba went bye-bye long time ago. I miss Baba. I not let go of Baba. Baba stay right with me," the toddler told her mother firmly.

"Baby, that's not Baba," everyone had gone silent and was watching the exchange with varying degrees of disbelief, confusion, anger, and amusement. Vau in particular looked like he was trying very hard not to charge over and demand to know what was going on, while a beautiful blonde-haired woman had buried her face in the Captain's chest to hide her smile.

"Yes it is!" Ciri argued adamantly. Fi was still looking around for help since Lylla wasn't getting anywhere with her daughter.

"Baba's still away," Lylla hated having to remind Ciri her dad might never come back to her. "He is still fighting to protect little girl's like you."

"I'm a _big_ girl," Ciri scowled. Lylla nodded in agreement.

"Sorry, I just still want you to be my little girl," she soothed the child. "Now, can you please let go of this nice man?"

"Nice man is _BABA_!" Ciri looked like she was about to burst into tears and Lylla felt her patience wearing thin. Any other day, maybe, she could have dealt with this, but right now, after everything that had happened, being reminded her husband might be dead was not something she could handle rationally.

"Ciri-Rose Bella," Lylla used her sternest voice, and the toddler immediately looked like she had been caught red-handed. "Please let go of Uncle Fi." Ciri's brow furrowed, looking so much like the clones, as she processed what Lylla had just said.

"Unca Fi?" she repeated skeptically, loosening her hold on the medic's leg. Lylla nodded seriously.

"That's right, baby, Uncle Fi," she repeated. "Baba is away with Uncle Viz and Uncle Peixe right now, just like I told you earlier."

"But Unca Fi _is _Baba," Ciri insisted, though she stepped away from Fi, looking uncertain.

"No he's not, baby," Lylla said softly. "Uncle Fi is Baba's brother, just like Uncle Viz."

"And Unca Rex?" Ciri added helpfully. Lylla nodded again.

"And Uncle Rex."

"And Unca Cody, and Unca Fives, and Unca Boil, and… and… and… Unca Fett!" the child listed all of the "uncles" she had heard referenced proudly. At the last one, a soft gasp was heard, though Lylla ignored it for the moment.

"Yes, all of them," she said. "But you forgot Uncle Derek."

"Unca Derek not with Baba, though," the child pointed out. Lylla sighed; Ciri was more observant than a two-year-old should be. Lylla scooped Ciri into her arms and stood up.

"Can you say sorry to Uncle Fi?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at the toddler. Ciri looked down.

"Sowwy, Unca Fi," she mumbled. Fi nodded, still looking slightly confused.

"It's okay, _ad'ika,_" he assured the little girl. Ciri grinned up at him and leaned out toward him. Fi leaned away slightly, and Lylla smiled again.

"She just wants to give you a kiss," she said to the medic.

"_Beso_," Ciri agreed. She had picked up the word from Jia, who had started speaking more of a language called Spanish since she had settled down a bit; it apparently meant _kiss._

Fi nodded and moved closer to the child could reach him. She gave him a peck on the cheek and then clapped her hands.

"I give Unca Fi beso, Mama," Ciri proudly reported to Lylla. Lylla nodded.

"I saw, baby, now go back and sit with Uncle Derek," she directed the toddler back to Derek, who swung her up into his lap and kissed her forehead. Lylla returned to her seat and took Kino from the clone, noticing he had a pair of expensive-looking grey gloves on his utility belt. She wanted to ask about them, but was almost afraid of the answer.

"What the _hell _was that?" another clone spoke up, sounding almost angry. Lylla looked over at him and saw both his arms had been replaced at the elbow with metal prosthetics. Skirata caught Lylla's eye again and gave her a look she clearly read as '_Tell them or I will.'_ Lylla nodded slightly and took a deep breath before she answered.

"Ciri mistook Fi as her father," she answered quietly.

"You called him Uncle Fi," Laseema remembered. Lylla glanced in the Twi'lek's directions and saw she was sitting with yet another clone.

"To Ciri, he is Uncle Fi," Lylla told her. Everyone was still as they processed that. Vau was the first to grasp it.

"You had a clone lover," he said bluntly. Lylla nodded and Vau's expression became angrier than it had already been. "And yet you married an _aruetii _pretty boy." Lylla heard Derek chuckled and she also had to smile; she knew Fett also called Derek "pretty boy."

"What's funny?" the beautiful blonde asked. She didn't sound mean, just curious.

"Kino's father also calls Derek 'pretty boy,'" Lylla explained.

"So Orello isn't the father of _any _of these kids?" Jusik spoke up for the first time.

"Not biologically, no," Derek answered. He seemed absolutely unaffected by everyone's hostility. His voice was calm and steady, as even and reassuring as always. "And Lylla and I aren't married either." The blonde opened her mouth to ask another question, but the Captain nudged her gently.

"No, Besany," he ordered gently. "Let _Kal'buir _and Sergeant Vau do the talking." Besany looked like she might argue, then she nodded.

"Alright, sweetheart." _So, her name's Besany. Still don't know the Captain's name. Still don't know anyone else besides the one's introduced earlier,_ Lylla thought.

"Why would you say you are?" Skirata spoke for the first time, and Lylla found his voice somewhat comforting.

"I want to know why Captain Jax told us you were," Vau snapped. Lylla looked back and forth between the two men, trying to figure out who to answer first.

"Jax's training was a little… different from most of the regular clones'. He had a serious outside influence. And then there was a year where he was on a classified mission with, um… _hired _help, and that was another great influence. He picked up a few habits and views of the galaxy from the mission leader," Lylla said after a moment, stumbling over her words as she tried to keep it vague, but still answer honestly. The clone sitting across from her studied her for a moment.

"You were on that mission, too," he said suddenly. "Otherwise you wouldn't know anything about it, because if it's so classified you can't mention it to _us,_ Jax definitely wouldn't have told you." Lylla nodded confirmation.

"Who was the leader?" Vau asked. Lylla glanced at Derek and he met her gaze.

"You're in charge here, Ly," he told her. "You were on the mission. You know the details and what they would have wanted these people to know."

"Yeah, but I don't know _these people_," Lylla retorted. "I need to know most of the story if I want to make a smart choice." Vau looked at her with grudging admiration.

"You're not as stupid as most civvies," he muttered. Lylla had the urge to throw something at the grouchy Mando, and then almost smiled. That was something Jia would have done.

"Her name is Jiana Sasha White," she answered at last. "Her call sign is Archangel. She was in charge. She put the team together and led the mission. She's Jax's outside influence."

"I know that name," Fi broke into the conversation. He was keeping on wary eye on Ciri, who kept looking at him and waving happily.

"Which one?" Lylla asked. "Jiana or Archangel?"

"Archangel," Fi said. "She did something to a group of Mandalorian extremists based on Concord Dawn. Something about ripping them off and blowing up their base of operations or something like that."

"How does Fi know about this, and we don't?" it was a different clone from all the others Lylla had seen or that had spoken up; she recognized him as the one that had picked them up at the café.

"I pay attention," Fi said somewhat smugly.

"I searched the GAR database for information on the mission after I met Jax," the Captain cut in. "There was nothing. It was just an empty place in the data."

"She deleted it," Derek told the Captain.

"Oh, I'm interested," it was the clone sitting across from Lylla. "How'd she do that?"

"Hacked Kamino," Lylla mumbled. She felt like she was sharing too many of the assassin's secrets. Even Skirata looked somewhat impressed at that.

"Don't know many civvies who can do that," Vau muttered.

"She's not a civilian," Maddison spoke up for the first time since the meeting had been called to order. She looked terrible. Her eyes were sunken in, her hair was scraggly, her skin was paler than usual; it made Lylla want to cry again, seeing how hard she was taking Jacob's death.

"What is she?" Vau asked suspiciously. Maddison and Lylla shared a look and answered at the same time.

"An assassin."

* * *

Maddison listened, feeling emotionless, as the old man in the sandy armor and the not-Jedi in the green armor recounted what had happened right before they had taken off. A Jedi named Etain had been caught as a bystander in a fight between panicking Padawan and clones. She had been coming to meet her husband and child and the rest of her family so they could leave and live together in peace. One of the Padawan had been about to kill one of the clones and Etain had stepped in front of him, protecting him with her life. She had cried out for someone named Darman as she died.

A clone named Niner, who was apparently a member of this crazy group, had fallen off the bridge during the mass panic of the crowd and had landed directly on his spine. Darman had refused to leave him. They had been picked up by some of the other clones stationed on Coruscant.

The man in sandy armor, he had been referred to during the meeting as both 'Skirata' and 'Kal'buir'- Maddison couldn't figure which was proper for her to address him by- had gone in a fit of rage chasing and killing the Padawan.

So, the death of Etain would have been the first shift in the Force she had felt, which had set off Kad, Ciri, and Yamir. That meant the other little disturbances, sort of like aftershocks of an earthquake, would have been the deaths of the Padawan.

Everyone became somber and quiet as the story was told. A couple of the clones would occasionally speak up with a detail the two men had missed. The blonde woman, _the Captain called her Besany,_ looked like she was about to start crying, though she managed to keep her emotions in check. The little boy, _Kad, his name is Kad, _would whimper and sniffle whenever his mother's name was mentioned. Lylla was clutching Kino tightly to her chest, her eyes wide and horrified as she listened to the story.

Maddison just felt numb. She had reached her pain limit and suddenly she felt nothing. No sadness, no fear, no anger, no hate; just… numb. And it was sweet, heavenly bliss.

Though there was one thing she wanted to know.

"Where are we going?" she asked suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her and she was suddenly aware she had interrupted Jusik, the not-Jedi. Maybe a day ago, she would've been embarrassed and looked down muttering, _Sorry, mister, _but not anymore. Not after what she had been through.

"Mandalore," Skirata answered at last. Maddison almost rolled her eyes.

"Don't they make it a sport to shoot Jedi?" she asked. Jusik's eyes crinkled slightly, as if he found her question amusing.

"Yes, _ad'ika,_ but you are not a Jedi anymore," he told her. Maddison opened her mouth to argue, before realizing the truth in his words. She wasn't a Jedi anymore; she didn't want to be. Maybe her rebellious attitude towards the Jedi had started when she ran away for a few months to live with Lylla, or maybe it had just appeared in her. Whatever the reason, Jusik-the-not-Jedi was corrected: she wasn't a Jedi.

It was probably the best thing that had happened to her since she had gotten Prima.

* * *

_Phew, took me all week, and I've had school off so I've been able to work on this all day, everyday. Yes, more of these characters that are not mine. So, again, because there are so many and they're all connected, I'm only doing the new names: I think that was just Besany and Skirata. But, I think I already explained Skirata, but I didn't explain Fi, and he was kind of key in this chapter. So, starting with Besany:_

_1. Besany Wennen was a Republic Treasury investigator agent. She is the wife of 'the Captain' (his name is Ordo, and he is one of the 'Nulls', just btw). They met while Skirata and the gang were tracking down some terrorists that had been attacking clone bases. In their first, lovely meeting, Ordo made the mistake of thinking Besany was part of the terrorist group and shot at her. Of course, they made up and are now happily married. She gave her security codes over to Skirata to help with his investigation, and later on actually worked as a spy for the group, using her clearance and skills to check up on what the Chancellor was doing financially. She was a friend of Etain (oh, I guess I also need to explain her), and loves Kad._

_2. Fi, formerly RC-8015, now Fi Skirata used to be part of the same squad as the two left-behind clones: Darman and Niner (more about them later). On a mission, though, he was caught in an explosion and suffered brain trauma. He was sent to a hospital, but was declared brain-dead. Skirata called on Besany to take care of Fi, and when the hospital said they were going to euthanize him, started an armed siege. With some help from one of Skirata's buddies, she got Fi out of the hospital and he was sent to Kyrimorut on Mandalore. He lived there while he was healing. While there, he met a woman named Parja Bralor, niece of a former _Cuy'val Dar _member. She helped him in his recuperation and they fell in love and got married. Before he was injured, he was the medic of the squad, so he has some medical training._

_3. Etain Tur-Mukan was a Jedi General who was in love with, and I think married to, and clone commando: RC-1136, Darman. They met on a mission on some planet, I forget the name, and became close. Etain was confused when she first encountered him, because she sensed a ten-year-old child, but was faced with a twenty-year-old man. She was killed during the chaos after the initial execution of Order 66 protecting a clone she didn't know. As she died, she called out twice for Darman and once for Kad, their son._

_So that's that. I'm betting some of the characters were a little OOC, but oh well. Maybe Jia, Bane, and Baldy next chapter, maybe more Lylla, Skirata, and the gang. I don't know. Let me know if you have a preference. :)_


	10. Questions

**Questions…**

_2 weeks later…_

Jia swallowed nervously and looked around at the group of people assembled around her.

"You all know the plan then?" she asked. Everyone nodded and Jia blinked.

"You're doing the right thing," it was Shirya, who Jia had broken out of prison a few days ago. "These people need someone to rally behind. Someone who they can imagine themselves as. Someone who will take out all their anger on the Empire for them." Shirya looked at her severely. "They need you. They need an angel."

Jia laughed darkly and shook her head.

"_Once_ I was an angel, a dark angel, but an angel all the same. I helped people, loved people. But angels can be broken. Now, I'm nothing more than a shadow," she muttered.

"Well, shadows are harder to see," this time it was her _beloved_ friend Q, from the same job as Shirya.

"And harder to catch," Boba added, crossing his arms over his chest. Jia's lip curled up into a feral smile.

"Then I wish the Empire luck in catching this shadow," she said. "They're going to need it." Shirya laughed.

"They certainly will."

* * *

Lylla rushed into the _karyai,_ the main living room, in the bastion known as Kyrimorut. It was the clone refuge Jia had mentioned. It was her new home.

"Turn on the news right now," she cried. It turned out that Jaing, Besany, Atin, Laseema, and Kad were the only others in the room.

"Why?" Besany asked even as Jaing was already reaching for the remote. He flipped on HNN, which was replaying the story Lylla had just saw.

"…mysterious explosion has taken place at one of the Empire's main shipyards. The government has not yet released the details regarding just how far the investigation has gotten, but we have reason to believe that this person is also behind a chain-reaction of explosions that took place on Coruscant earlier today…" the reporter, a cute little brunette, was saying. Atin whistled under his breath and Jaing looked at Lylla, one eyebrow raised.

"Know who it is?" he asked. Lylla was smiling now. She knew this MO. She had been part of it before. But she couldn't let these people, even though she now trusted them, know that.

"I have an idea," she said carefully. "A _very_ good idea." Besany was still watching the news, drawn in by the story.

Suddenly the image went to snow momentarily and then another person came into focus. Only their face was showing, and their head was covered with a black shawl and veil that led down into loose black robes.

"I claim responsibility for the attacks," the voice had obviously gone through a modulator; it was monotonic and flat, neither male nor female and void of any emotion.

"Who is _that?_" Besany asked softly. Lylla's smile widened. She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off as the person spoke again.

"Many people know me by many different names, but you all now know me as Shadow," it said. "I am no one and everyone. Don't try looking for me; you won't find me. Don't try stopping me; I will still win. And if you try hurting the people I love…" it trailed off and the image went to snow again before the voice reappeared, strong and resonating out of the speakers. "… I will hunt you down, I will find you. And I will kill you. I wish the Empire good luck. Welcome to hell."

The brunette anchor reappeared, looking flustered and downright terrified.

"We will be right back after the break and try to see if we can find out anything about that… interruption," she stuttered out. A commercial came on for some sort of music device and Jaing shut off the news.

"That person, whoever he is, is very dramatic," he decided after a moment.

"It might not be a 'he,'" Atin pointed out. Jaing looked at the commando.

"Do you know of any civvie female who would make a public enemy of the Emperor?" he asked.

"I do," Lylla mumbled. Jaing and Atin looked at her, and she hastily changed the subject. "What if it's not a civilian? What if it's a renegade Jedi or a bounty hunter or something?"

"All the Jedi are in hiding and bounty hunters and mercenaries don't send messages to their marks in front of billions of people," Jusik said, entering the room. Lylla shot him a cross look.

"Do you always do that?" she complained. "Just butt into conversations that you have no clue what we're talking about?"

"The person in black that just interrupted every channel on the holo," Jusik said before she was even done talking. "Shadow. That's who you're talking about." He sat down beside Laseema and she handed him Kad. Lylla felt unexplained irritation at the ex-Jedi and changed the subject again.

"When is Ny getting here?" she asked. Everyone shrugged or shook their head, silently answering her question. Lylla sighed.

"I'm going to find Derek," she muttered. As she walked past Jusik, he grabbed her wrist gently, effectively halting her.

"I want time with Ciri-Rose and Yamir," he told her quietly. The mother's usually bright and loving eyes hardened into cold stones.

"The Jedi took my child from me once," she growled, yanking her arm out of his grasp. Kad squirmed uncomfortably at her anger, and the watching adults looked away, pretending to ignore the exchange. "You don't get her again."

"What about Yamir?" Jusik asked. Lylla didn't waver.

"He and Ciri have become inseparable. You take one and the other one follows," she explained in an uncharacteristically hostile voice. "So you don't get either." Jusik's eyes flicked around her face for a few moments, but she kept it blank and empty. After a minute or so, he bowed his head and she stalked out of the room.

Minutes later, she heard the footsteps of an approaching person, and paused. It was Jaing. He was the one that had been sitting across from her in the galley of Skirata's ship on the way from Coruscant to Mandalore. The gray gloves hung, as usual, from his belt.

So far he had proven to be the most open and accepting towards her, despite the fact that she had made a point to lock everyone out. With the exception of her moment of vulnerability on the ship to Mandalore when she had been talking to Skirata, she had otherwise been closed and distant to everyone except her "family."

As she watched the approaching ex-soldier, she remembered her "interrogation" of him mere hours after they had arrived on Mandalore.

* * *

_Lylla stalked up to the clone that had been sitting across from her on the ship. She recognized him by the gloves and decided he would be her best bet in getting any information about these people and this place._

"_I need to talk to you," she said bluntly. He had been leaning over one of his brother's shoulders, studying a computer screen, but at her words he stood up and turned around to face her. Lylla was suddenly reminded of how much bigger and stronger these men were than her._

_The other clone glanced up, a sly smile on his face._

"_Go on," he said. "Have fun with the lady. I'll keep going through the data." Lylla rolled her eyes at his comment, but kept her gaze on the one she had originally spoken to._

"_Come on," he said at last, leading her to one of the many empty rooms. He closed the door behind them, but didn't lock it, and Lylla realized he was just trying to give them privacy._

"_Who are you people?" she asked after a moment. The clone stretched out on the bed and Lylla sat down in a chair next to the bed._

"_Well, my _name_ is Jaing Skirata," he started. "I am the son of Kal Skirata, along with my six brothers." Lylla tried another question, seeing as that wasn't the answer she had wanted._

"_Why are we here?" Jaing looked her up and down, and she got the feeling he was sizing her up, checking to see if she was worth the trouble of an explanation._

"_We deserted," he answered flatly after many seconds of silence. Lylla resisted the urge to roll her eyes again._

"_Yeah, got that, Sparky," she ground out. "Can you just please explain what this place is and who these people are?"_

"_My name is Jaing, not Sparky," Jaing corrected her in a mild voice. Lylla opened her mouth to deliver a stinging retort when she saw his eyes were sparkling with amusement; he was teasing her and enjoying it very much._

"_Just explain, please," she muttered. Jaing grinned._

"_Welcome to Kyrimorut, your new home. It's a bastion Kal'buir and Sergeant Vau set up as a sort of safe house. It's for any clones who want to desert, and apparently for any family they have." He shot Lylla a sideways glance and she just glowered at him._

"_Okay, what about everyone here?" she was trying hard not to let his comments and looks get under her skin, but she could tell he was having fun._

"_Well, there's Ordo, Mereel, Prudii, Komr'k, A'den, and me; along with Atin, Fi, Corr, Yaxyax Squad, and Commander Levet. We're all deserters. Kal'buir and Sergeants Vau, Bralor, and Gilmar also live here, sort of; they trained us on Kamino," Jaing started his explanation. "Besany Wennen, Laseema, Jilka Zan Zentis, Nyreen Vollen, and some Seppie doctor named Ovolot Qail Uthan are the, uh, civilians here. Besany is married to Ordo and Laseema is married to Atin. Oh, and there's Ruusan, Kal'buir's daughter, Arla Fett, Jango Fett's psychotic sister, and Bardan Jusik, an ex-Jedi."_

_Lylla blinked and shook her head a little._

"_Okay, slow down," she said. "Let me see if I have this straight. There are fourteen or so clones here, four of your sergeants from Kamino, five "civilians" –not counting Derek and I, Mr. Kal's biological daughter, a not-Jedi-anymore, and a dead bounty hunter's killer sister. Did I get everyone?"_

"_No, you forgot Parja," Jaing told her. Lylla scowled deeply._

"_You never mentioned someone named Parja," she snapped. "But who is Parja?"_

"_Sergeant Bralor's niece," Jaing answered. "She's married to Fi."_

"_So, Besany is married to Ordo, Laseema to Atin, and Parja to Fi," Lylla was struggling to keep all the names and relationships from becoming one big tangled mess in her mind. Jaing was smirking at her, as if he could tell she was finding this difficult and confusing._

"_Yes." Lylla let out a loud sigh._

"_Okay, so where does Kad come into this? And who is Darman and Niner?" Jaing's eyes hardened suddenly and his voice became guarded._

"_Kad is the son of Darman and a Jedi named Etain Tur-Mukan. Darman, Niner, Atin, and Fi were all part of the same squad. Fi got a head injury on one of their missions and Corr took his place in the squad. Darman and Niner were left behind when we got off Triple Zero," he said stiffly. That didn't quite make anything any more understandable, but now Lylla understand why Skirata had acted a little oddly when she mentioned she didn't like people who left family behind._

"_What's Triple Zero?" she asked. Jaing snorted in amusement._

"_Coruscant, Galactic City," he answered. Lylla's head was spinning with all the new names and information, but she couldn't complain. She had asked for it._

"_So, I know Laseema is the Twi'lek, Besany is the blonde-haired lady- which would make Ordo the Captain, and Jusik is the Jedi who got Prima for Maddie," she looked at Jaing for confirmation that she had gotten that correct. The ARC nodded._

"_Jilka worked with Besany, Ny is a pilot and flies for us- and I think she's getting close with Kal'buir, and Dr. Uthan is here to try to see if she can stop the rapid aging in clones," he continued where she had left off. "Arla is here because Bard'ika decided to break her out of the psychotic center Dr. Uthan was in, and Ruu's here because, well, she's Kal'buir's daughter. But we had to break her out of prison, too." Lylla rolled her eyes in exasperation._

"_Anymore fugitives or ex-cons you have here?" she asked sarcastically. Jaing's lips twitched as if he were trying not to laugh._

"_Not right now," he said. Lylla just shook her head slightly_

"_Alright, I'm done asking questions," she muttered. "I'm not a genius like you guys, so this is all very confusing." Jaing smiled at that._

"_Well, if you need anything else, I'll be with Mereel," he said, getting up and walking to the door._

"_Mereel's the one that is looking over the data, yes?" Lylla felt proud of herself that she had been able to make that connection. Jaing nodded._

"_Maybe you're not as stupid as you think you are," he mused. Before Lylla could snap something at him, he was gone._

_She had learned during the past two weeks more about her new neighbors. Corr was the one with the prosthetics. Gilmar was a doctor, unlike Dr. Uthan who was more of a scientist. Mr. Kal was obsessed with finding a cure to the clones rapid degeneration. Mird was actually really good with kids. Nyreen went by "Ny." Everyone was starting to form a plan to extract Niner and Darman from Coruscant. She was starting to form a plan to extract Jia from whatever suicide run she had placed herself on._

* * *

"Yes, Jaing?" she asked, keeping her tone neutral. She wasn't going to be hostile and cold towards him, though she was going to keep him at arm's length. He came to a stop in front of her, blocking her from advancing towards her room.

"Don't snap at Bardan like that," he chastised. Lylla's eyes narrowed and she placed her hands on her hips as he continued. "He's not a Jedi anymore. Stop talking to him like he is one." Lylla opened her mouth then closed it again. She had to figure out the right thing to say so Jaing would understand where her hostility was coming from.

"Have you ever lost someone you love?" she asked at last. "And Etain doesn't count," she added when Jaing opened his mouth to answer. "She was Darman's wife, not yours. And I don't think you were as close to her as Mr. Kal or Besany and Laseema were." Jaing closed his mouth and remained silent for a few moments.

"Not the way you're thinking about," he answered at last. Lylla nodded.

"I had to watch the Jedi march into my home and take my daughter away from me forever," she said. Jaing crossed his arms over his chest, assuming a somewhat threatening stance.

"You got to visit her, though," he reminded the mother.

"It wasn't the same!" Lylla snapped. "All I could do was hold her and tell her I love her and promise her that her Baba would be home soon. And I didn't know when I would see her again. Sometimes the visits were only a week apart. Most times it was two or three months. Like I said, the Jedi got her once; they don't get her again."

"Bardan isn't a Jedi anymore," Jaing managed to keep his tone diplomatic, for which Lylla was grateful and a little impressed. "He just wants to help Ciri-Rose and Yamir learn how to keep that mystery Force stuff under wraps." He looked down at her with angry yet somewhat-understanding eyes, and she felt her fury recede some.

"Fine, I'll let him spend some time with Ciri and 'Mir," she muttered mutinously. Jaing's eyes softened.

"Good," he gave her a single nod and moved out her way. Lylla gave him a sort-of smile and continued towards the room she was sharing with Derek and the four-plus kids they had taken in as their own.

"Lylla," he called to her after a few moments. She paused and tipped her head to the side to show she was listening. "Who is Shadow?"

A slow smile formed on her face and she was glad her back was turned to Jaing.

"Honestly, Jaing," she said, her back still turned. "I have no idea."

* * *

"Baldy, I told you as soon as this job is done I'll figure out a way for you to see Kino," Jia snapped irritably.

She was in yet another argument with the bounty hunter about when he would get to see his son. It was after the first job as Shadow. Shirya was going to be doing the follow-up job in two days, giving Jia some time to rest and plan their next move.

"Blondie, I swear someday I'm going to kill you," the bounty hunter snarled. Jia smirked up at him.

"You love me too much," she teased. Boba snorted.

"You wish."

"Haha, very funny," Jia sighed. "But I mean it when I say you can see Kino. _After_ the job." The bounty hunter's eyes darkened with fury and Jia braced herself for the inevitable attack.

After living with him for the past two weeks, she had learned when she had pushed too many buttons; yet she still did it. The topic of Kino was probably the most sensitive subject of discussion; and she usually managed to make him beyond angry within three minutes. It was a skill she was working on, she had decided.

""You don't even know where my son is," Boba ground out. Jia's eyes flashed.

"_Our_ son!" she reminded him fiercely. "Kino is our son. And I'll find him. And maybe if you're nice to me, I'll let you see him."

That was the snapping point for the bounty hunter. He had her backed against the wall with his hand at her throat in an instant. Jia swallowed but regarded him calmly.

"You don't follow through with what you're saying, I will kill you," he told her in a low voice. Jia narrowed her eyes at him and tipped her head to the side. Suddenly she twisted and kicked back, throwing him off of her.

He grabbed her as he fell, bringing her down with him. After a couple minutes of wrestling for the upper hand, Boba pinned Jia to the floor, holding her down with one arm across her throat. Jia squirmed for a few moments more before giving in with a huff.

"Dammit, Baldy, let me up," she sighed. Boba raised an eyebrow.

"You're getting lazy," he commented. Jia ground her teeth but held her tempter in check.

"Just let me up," she growled at him, barely refraining herself from adding in a few choice names. He almost smiled.

"Mind your manners," he said sarcastically. Jia gave him her '_are you being for real?'_ look.

"Says the person who is currently choking me," she said incredulously. Boba smirked; the one facial expression of his that made her want to smack him a few times more than anything else he said or did.

"Maybe if you ask nicely." Now he was just messing with her. Jia's lip curled up in a silent snarl and she tried to wriggle away again. The bounty hunter pressed down slightly harder with his arm, restricting her breathing. "That's not asking nicely," he pretended to chastise.

Jia ceased in her struggling for the second time to glare at him.

"No way I'm being nice to you," she muttered. Boba shrugged.

"Then I guess you're just stuck here," his face split into an amused grin at her audible growl of frustration. "I could always tie you up," he pointed out when she started spewing insults at him. Jia ground her teeth but fell silent.

"Please," she choked on her words as if they were suffocating her, "let me up." Boba pretended to think.

"I don't know," he mused out loud. "You weren't that nice to me earlier." Jia sounded like she was grinding stone in her mouth, but managed to give him a forced smile.

"Baldy, can you please allow me to get up off the floor?" she hissed out through clenched teeth. Boba made a face as he came to his decision. Finally he stood up, offering a hand down to her. Jia glowered at him and smacked it aside, getting up on her own.

"You're welcome, Blondie," Boba muttered when Jia didn't say anything. Jia just made a face at him and stalked into the kitchen.

"I'm not making any dinner for you tonight," she called back to him. Boba followed her into the other room.

"Then I'll just eat yours," he told her. Jia whirled around, her loose hair hitting him in the face as she did so.

"I dare you to try," she said in a low voice. Boba raised his eyebrows and studied her for a moment, before bowing his head slightly.

"Maybe some other day," he decided. Jia raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh, this is a first," she smirked at him. "You're backing down from a challenge." The bounty hunter opened his mouth to say something, but Jia patted his cheek. "I like you better when you aren't trying to kill me every other minute, Baldy."

Boba just rolled his eyes and heated up some of the lunch leftovers.

* * *

_So, that's pretty much Kyrimorut and its residents in a nutshell. Rav Bralor (aka Sergeant Bralor) and Yaxyax Squad and Commander Levet don't always stay at Kyrimorut, just btw. I know I sort of left the whole thing that had to do with Cad Bane wide open, but don't worry. It ties up with a nice little bow in the next chapter. Big, big thank you to xX Blood-Bond Xx who was been a great adviser during these past ten chapters. You have no idea how much I value your tips and ideas. Anywho, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! :)  
_


	11. And Answers

**... And Answers**

Jia was in the middle of straightening her hair for the next job when her comlink beeped. She huffed and set the flat iron down, stalking into the living room and answering the call.

"What?" she growled, fully expecting it to be Boba Fett.

"I dropped them off like you said, little girl," instead the drawling voice of Cad Bane hit her ears. "We followed your paths and safe houses. Took two weeks but we got there. I hope you paid up." Jia rolled her eyes, glad they were on voice only.

"I did. Now shut up and make yourself scarce," she snapped. Bane chuckled quietly and cut the connection.

As soon as he did, Jia typed in another contact code, waiting impatiently for someone to answer. She was about to call defeat when a well-known and much-loved person bloomed small and blue in her hand.

Jia breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Hey, 'Soka," she smiled. "You and Rex okay? You guys made it to Saleucami without much incident?" Ahsoka nodded mutely. She looked the same as she had two weeks before when Jia had sent her and Rex away with Cad Bane as their chaperone; sad eyes, a lost facial expression. Dirt and other things Jia didn't want to identify covered the Togruta. Her clothes were torn and stained. Ahsoka was still a mess.

"Thanks, Jia," Ahsoka spoke softly; subdued. Not at all the exuberant, excited Padawan Jia had become friends with. "I owe you two."Jia shook her head.

"I was making sure I got all my family away," the assassin said. "I was making sure they were safe." Ahsoka nodded.

"How did you know about Cut and Suu?" Ahsoka asked. Jia chewed her lip in thought.

"Rex told me on the mission," she said at last. "After Lylla had Ciri and all. He wanted me to know an escape route for Lylla, Jax, and the rest of their family. But, Jax found a different safe house and I sent them there. Better to split everyone up than to keep them together and attract too much attention, I think."Ahsoka nodded again. Jia gave her another smile and turned to close the channel when Ahsoka spoke up suddenly, her voice sounding a little like the old Ahsoka.

"You'll visit us, right?" Jia was shaking her head before the question was even all the way out.

"I can't, 'Soka," she said quietly. "I have work on Coruscant I need to finish up, and then a little sort of game I have planned for the Empire. A deadly game."

"Deadly for who?" Ahsoka asked. She hoped it was the Emperor. Jia offered Ahsoka a third smile; this one sad and tired, like someone who was on death row and knew it.

"Deadly for me, 'Soka," she informed her friend in a soft voice. "Deadly for me."

* * *

_So, this was actually supposed to be part of the last chapter, but my computer went whack and something weird happened and this section was deleted. So, I just split up the chapter into two chapters. That's why this one is so very short. Next chapter will be longer. I promise.  
_


	12. Fire And Fire

**Fire And Fire**

Jia padded into the living room of Derek's apartment, fresh out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her body, squeezing water out of her hair. Boba Fett turned to look at her briefly before returning his attention to the weapons he was cleaning.

"What's on the news?" Jia asked, sinking into the couch next to him. He grunted something that she took as 'don't know, don't care' and rolled her eyes. She reached for the remote and turned up the volume.

"Over the past week, the attacks of Shadow have been growing. The number now stands at fifteen attacks; eight bombings, three chain-reactions, and four murders of important Imperial figures," the anchor was reporting. "What baffles authorities the most is how close together the attacks are on planets that are so far apart. We have speculated that perhaps there is a copy-cat-" Jia shut it off and tossed the remote to the side.

"Nothing interesting," she sighed, standing up and stretching, holding the towel so it wouldn't fall off. She turned towards Boba. "When are you leaving on that job?" The bounty hunter didn't pause in his actions as he answered.

"I turned it down," he said distractedly. Jia stilled, not sure she had heard him correctly.

"What?" Boba set down the weapon he was cleaning and turned to scowl up at Jia.

"I said I turned it down," he repeated irritably. "Are you going deaf, Blondie?" Jia raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well don't get an attitude with me," she snapped. "It's not my fault you didn't take the job. I'm not holding you here. You're free to leave whenever you want." The bounty hunter opened his mouth to argue back, but just closed his mouth again and shook his head with a soft growl. Jia became even more confused at his reaction. She moved so she was standing directly in front of him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked, bewildered and frustrated. "I have done _nothing _to make you like this; except maybe argue with you a little- well, a lot, but that's normal for us." She was ignored, which caused her anger to spiral upwards. "Baldy, I'm talking to you!"

"And I'm ignoring you," the bounty hunter retorted. Jia slapped him upside the head, and he snapped his head up to glare at her; he saw she was standing a lot closer than he wanted her to.

"You're an asshole, you know that?" she huffed when he didn't say anything else. Boba just held her gaze evenly and kept his mouth shut. Jia's expression shifted from annoyed to exasperated and angry.

When he remained silent, she gave a hiss of frustration and turned, stomping back to the bedroom. Boba was amused; she was acting more like a young child than a grown woman. He heard the door shut and the lock click into place and rolled his eyes. It wasn't like he ever went into that room anyways, except to access the 'fresher, so locking the door was a little overkill.

He finished cleaning and reassembling all the weapons and moved into the kitchen. He put on a pot of caf and sat down at the computer that was stationed in the corner of the room, next to the window that overlooked the city. He pulled up all the information the media and government had on Shadow, smiling at the single paragraph of facts. The rest was just speculation and opinions.

Jia did a good job making sure just enough evidence was left to make the investigators think they had a lead without making it too obvious; and without actually giving them anything that would take them anywhere close to all the different "headquarters" of Shadow.

Beeping alerted him to the fact that the caf was ready. Yawning, he stood up and poured the hot drink into a mug. He was sitting down again when an explosion demolished another apartment building a few blocks away. The shockwaves caused the building they were in to rumble and shake slightly, sloshing the caf everywhere.

"Blondie," Boba called, already starting to erase the memory of the computer and shut it down. Jia was at his side in an instant, her backpack slung over one shoulder, dressed in her typical dark cargo pants, cami, and black leather jacket. Her wet hair was pulled up in a tight braid that dripped water down onto the two hunting knives strapped to her back.

"That was Ly's apartment," Jia informed him, moving expertly around the kitchen, setting explosives. The bounty hunter watched her for a moment with a raised eyebrow before rolling his eyes again.

"You've been expecting something like this to happen for a while," he realized with a sigh. Jia paused in her work and looked up at him.

"Yeah, I have," she said shortly. "Now pack up your weapons unless you want them going up in smoke. The agents will be here within fifteen minutes."

"You knew they would go to your friend's apartment first?"Boba asked curiously as he moved into the living room, not at all intent on letting his weapons disappear in an explosion.

"Yeah, sort of, not really, no," Jia answered, setting up the explosives around the rest of the apartment. "I just guessed. It was known she was particularly close with Jax and Shadow Squad. Me? I erased my existence from the GAR computers a while ago. But Lylla was friends with Derek, and they know that, so they'll be here next." She returned to the living room and started rigging the door the way she had with Lylla's apartment. She turned towards the bounty hunter. "Ready?"

Boba shouldered the duffle bag he had filled with weapons and computer components that held all the proof of Shadow's existence and plans.

"Lead on, Blondie," he nodded towards the door, but Jia shook her head.

"No, we go out the fire escape window," she shoved it open and shimmied through the opening, balancing precariously on the tiny ledge as she prepped her repelling cable. Boba sighed and followed her out, pulling on his helmet and aiming his ascension cable towards the roof.

"I'm guessing we get to fall to the ground," he muttered. Jia grinned at him; he could tell this was what she loved. She couldn't stand being stuck in a house as a wife or mother. He didn't understand how she had lasted so long with pretty boy; then he remembered she hadn't. She had continued with her jobs and cons even when her boyfriend was living here and she was pregnant.

"Hold on tight," she teased before stepping off the ledge, her repelling cable making a whirring sound as it uncoiled rapidly. Boba almost smiled as he followed her.

This was her rush, why she didn't give up being an assassin and become "normal." She wasn't scared of what she should be scared of. She knew how to take care of herself. She was smart and clever. She was deadly.

He landed beside her and cut his cable. He would reset it on the ship with fresh cable. Jia did the same, her repelling cable going slack and swinging back towards the wall of the building.

"Come on, Baldy, to your ship," she said, a note of urgency entering her voice. "They have mine on lock-down. It'll be an entire job's worth of weapons and planning to liberate it."

Boba nodded and they joined the crowds hurrying through the streets. When he glanced back, he saw a group of people dressed in black suits, obviously the investigators, entering the building.

"Oh, crap," Jia muttered; she had seen them, too. A minute later Derek's apartment was engulfed in flames. The windows were blown out and furniture scattered along the street; a chair barely missed a lady standing in the middle of the street, and she screamed and ran. Sirens filled the air as firemen and police rushed to the scene.

"Well, congrats, Blondie," Boba growled through his internal com to the earbud that she had on and in her ear. "Shadow strikes again."

"Easiest job ever," Jia agreed. "Now come on; we need to go. Now."

They started walking in the general direction of the port where the bounty hunter had his ship when a loud voice that rang with authority called to them.

"You two there; stop!"

Both the bounty hunter and the assassin did as told, sliding the bags off their shoulders and putting them to the side. They turned around to face the person that had drawn attention to them. It was a fat man with narrowed eyes who was waddling towards them.

"He thinks he is a lot better than he actually is," Jia muttered into the earbud. Boba smiled behind his helmet.

"You got a plan for this, Blondie?" he hissed as the overweight man got closer.

"I'm working on it," Jia growled through clenched teeth. The man was getting nearer and Boba started prepping his weapons. Suddenly Jia's eyes lit up. "Got it. We just accelerate our plans a little bit. You become the official leader of Shadow. You take my backpack and your duffel bag and leave; we can't let anyone get a hold of them. I'll stay here and cause the wonderful authorities of Coruscant a delay in pursuing you."

"That's a suicide mission," Boba pointed out. Jia yanked her backpack off the ground, looking at him from under her eyebrows as she did so.

"Yeah, I know," she tossed him the backpack and he caught it expertly.

"I've already warned you I'm not breaking your ass out of prison," he reminded her. Jia gave him her '_you're sounding like an idiot' _look.

"Yeah, I know," she repeated. Boba was still for a moment before slightly shaking his head. He picked up his duffle bag and slung the strap over his other shoulder.

"Well, it was fun running with you again, Blondie," he said. Jia grinned and nodded.

"Take your helmet off," she ordered suddenly. The bounty hunter was confused but did as she asked, keeping his head bent so no one could get a good look at his face. He opened his mouth to ask what she was doing when he felt the warmth of her lips against his. He jerked back, shocked, and Jia laughed, though she already had a resigned look in her eyes. "You better take care of my son for me."

"I might if I get another kiss," Boba teased, his eyes flicking momentarily to the fat man who was almost to them. Jia smirked up at him.

"Sorry, only one per job." The bounty hunter trapped her arms in his large hands and pressed his lips to hers in a rough kiss. He pulled away to see her glaring at him even as the edge of mouth twitched with a contained smile.

And then the fat man was within arm's length of them. Jia raised her eyebrows at Boba in a non-questioning way as more of the police swarmed over her, offering no resistance as they restrained her and dragged her back towards the government speeder.

"I hate you," she called to the bounty hunter as he started retreating into the crowd again. Her earbud picked up his low chuckle as he had replaced his helmet.

"I know."

* * *

_And so starts the game..._


	13. Realizations

**Realizations**

Jia sat in the corner of her tiny holding cell, pretending to be asleep, her head resting strategically against the wall which allowed her to eavesdrop on civilian guards that stood in the hallway, discussing her immediate future.

"…Vader wants to interview her personally," one of them was saying. Jia huffed inaudibly. She hadn't been a prisoner for longer than four hours and word of her capture had spread through the different government agencies like wildfire.

"Wonder what she did to get on his radar like that," another guard murmured. His words were almost thoughtful, not accusing or darkly eager, and for that Jia was grateful. Dust tickled Jia's nose and she felt the urge to sneeze.

"Is she getting transferred to the garrison? I heard that Commander of the 501st has a bone to pick with her," the first one that had spoken speculated. Jia tried to stifle the sneeze and failed miserably. The sound echoed throughout the tiny room and the two guards fell silent.

Jia sighed and stood up. Falsifying sleep seemed pointless now. She attempted to pace back and forth, but the room was so small that she could only take two steps in any direction without running out of room.

"Can I have something to eat?" she asked, looking through the ray shield. The guards ignored her. Jia glowered at their backs. "Something to drink, at least?" Again there was no response and the assassin clicked her teeth irritably.

Seeing as she wasn't going to get an answer out of anyone close enough to talk to, she started humming songs under her breath. First it was all the Adele songs she knew, then it was her favorite songs by Sugarland. She was in the middle of Keep You when an entire squad of clone troopers marched up to the cell. The ray shield disappeared and the two guards entered the cell. Jia gave an exaggerated groan.

"Finally! I thought you all had forgotten I was stuck in this damn tiny room," she told them. Naturally, she was ignored. The guards just snapped binders over her wrists and shoved her towards the squad. Being who she was, Jia had to add a comment. "You know, you guys could just ask me to walk. I'm not illiterate or uncooperative. Most times. Sometimes. Rarely. Yeah, never mind what I just said." Again, their only response was silence.

The Sergeant of the squad grabbed her roughly by her arms and kicked the back of her legs so they buckled. Jia gritted her teeth but kept her breathing and heartbeat steady, knowing that if she didn't the clones would pick up on it immediately. She was led outside of the building to a blacked-out speeder and thrown unceremoniously into the back.

The ride was about fifteen minutes long. When they arrived she was once again pushed, shoved, yanked, and pulled down multiple hallways. They got to the brig and Jia had to close her ears to what she heard so she wouldn't react. It was the sounds of women and girls in pain; cries and shrieks, moans and pleas, voices begging for mercy, pleading for a break, crying for death. One of the troopers, she recognized him as Sergeants second, leered at her.

"Get used to the sounds, little girl," he hissed. "It'll be you soon enough." Jia schooled her face into smugness.

"Don't hold your breath, tupespawn," she retorted. The clone tensed and the next thing she felt was his gloved hand across her cheek, knocking her into the clone that was currently restraining her and drawing blood. The assassin didn't so much as blink. She was a prisoner now; a victim. And they would try to break her, shatter her.

Where these thoughts and realizations would have terrified any other person, Jia only felt a cold readiness settle over her. She had an idea of what they would do to her. She had an idea of what information they would ask about. And she knew she would probably die right in the cell she had just been locked in.

* * *

Commander Appo stayed one step behind the new Sith Lord as Darth Vader strode to the cell where the woman who had given her name as Jiana Sasha White was being held. The Commander remembered her from about a year and a half or two years ago, when she had still been a teenager. She had embarrassed him in front of the troops he was supposed to be in charge of; he had not appreciated that.

"Commander Appo, I want you to remain outside while I talk to this woman," Vader ordered as they approached the cell. Appo saluted.

"Yes, sir, Lord Vader," he said. He knew he would get his turn with her; he could wait. He watched as Vader deactivated the ray shield and entered the small, dark cell. The woman, Jiana, was reclined on the cot that was bolted to the floor, though she scrambled into a more upright position when the Sith stepped into the room. An eyebrow rose.

"_What_ the _hell_ are you?" she asked. Instead of answering verbally, Vader simply focused on her mind, attempting to force his way into it. Like when he had been Anakin Skywalker, he was met with the walls that protected anything and everything she knew. After several fruitless minutes, he retreated, frustrated.

"I want to know where the Jedi Ahsoka Tano is," he growled. Jia's head tipped to the side and her eyebrows narrowed as she tried to get a read off him. Finally she shook her head.

"Who?" It suddenly felt as if an invisible hand was closing around her throat. She clawed at her neck for a moment, but when it didn't help she stilled in her movements so as to save oxygen. The crushing hold released her after about thirty seconds.

"I know you know who I'm talking about," Vader said as Jia drew in deep, shaking breaths. Jia pursed her lips. "Just like I know more about you than almost anyone," he added when she didn't say anything. He could sense she was keeping a mental and emotional wall around everything, and felt his frustration start giving way to anger.

"Alright," Jia's voice was carefully blank. "Tell me something about myself no one else knows."

Vader's lips curled up into a feral grin around his breather. This was the opening he had been hoping for. This was the chance he wanted to let her know just how much damage he could cause her.

"You come from a planet not in this galaxy that no one's heard of. You worked under a man named Blake Wolffe. You had two partners: Eagle and Red. You loved Eagle and were best friends with Red. At first, Eagle was a drunk who constantly beat on you. Red was always there to comfort you and even protect you sometimes when Eagle got out of control. Both died when they set off a bomb to kill Wolffe while also killing themselves," Vader rattled off a summary of most of the memories she had shown him. "Swirl and T absorbed you into their group; their sister Willow had also been killed. The last of your family had already been killed off. You wanted to die so you set off an explosion, hoping to kill yourself the way Red and Eagle had ended-" Jia had started trembling even as her brain raced ahead, connecting the dots.

"Stop it, stop it!" she cried, curling up and burying her head in her knees. Vader felt a ripple of satisfaction at her reaction, though he found her mental and emotional walls were still erected.

"Now, where is Ahsoka Tano?" he was tempted to use the Force on her again, but knew she would resist to the death; and she was no good dead. Jia remained silent, though her thoughts were in turmoil. And then it all made sense.

"You're Anakin." It was a whisper that faded into nothing. Vader snarled.

"That man was weak, foolish. He is no longer alive." Jia looked confused.

"But you are alive," she said softly. "Anakin, what happened to you?" Even as the words left her mouth, she remembered the news of Senator Amidala's, and her child's, death. Once again, the picture became clear. "Padme…," the name was a murmur on her lips, and Vader visibly tensed and leaned slightly away from her. Jia blinked up at him, her eyes sweet and gentle. "What happened to her? Anakin, what happened to Padme?" she let the beautiful name dance off her tongue and to Vader's ears.

And then he was on her. It was the first time he had gotten physical with a prisoner, but this woman had driven him to the extremes. He pinned her up against the wall, her feet not touching the ground, holding her by the throat while his lightsaber, now activated, was moved closer and closer to her side.

"You don't speak her name!" he growled in her ear. Jia want silent again, just regarding him with intelligent blue eyes. After several more moments of nothing but silence, he released her once more and she tumbled down onto the cot, again gasping for breath.

Vader turned his back to her and stalked out of the room. Commander Appo snapped to attention and saluted as the Sith Lord walked past.

"She's all yours, Commander," Vader said, his voice dangerously low; more so than usual. "Have your fun with her. As much as you want." Appo's lip curled up into a smile. Whoever this woman was, she must have done something to seriously piss off the Sith. He made a hand gesture to the nearby clones, telling them to leave. He wanted to do this himself, and he wanted to be alone when he did it.

* * *

Shadow Squad gathered in their barracks, fresh out of the showers after their most recent mission. Peixe was shaking his head.

"Order 66," he mumbled. "I can't believe it."

"You haven't been able to believe it for the past three weeks," Ouro snapped. Peixe glared at his brother and launched the datapad he had been holding at Ouro's head.

"Stand down, Peixe," Viz sighed tiredly. Jax was silent, scrolling through the names of the prisoners that had been taken while they had been off Coruscant. The entire squad knew he was searching for Lylla's name, or Ciri's name; the Empire had started taking child prisoners as well to use as leverage over and against their parents.

"But, still," Peixe's voice sounded dazed, as it had every other time he had thought of or mentioned Order 66. "The Jedi; traitors wiped out. It's just so hard to believe. I mean, I can't see Barriss or Ahsoka as trying to overthrow the Republic. Or General Unduli for that matter. She was nice enough to us."

"Really?" Zjarr asked, wrinkling his brow. "I never liked her."

"You never like anyone," Havet muttered. Zjarr rolled his eyes.

"That's not true," he argued. "I liked that pretty brunette from Corellia well enough."

"Yeah, that's 'cause she screwed you," Tenger snorted. Zjarr shrugged.

"I still liked her," he pointed out. Havet and Tenger rolled their eyes and moved to clean their armor. Viz flipped through a list of possible next assignments. Zjarr and Peixe turned to Ouro and the three launched into a discussion about the success of their last mission, figuring out what they could've done better. Jax's breath hitched in his throat and his datapad clattered to the floor.

Everyone paused and looked up at him, Viz at his side in an instant, ready to offer assistance if the Captain needed it.

"What's up?" Zjarr was the first one to voice the question, and everyone held their breath as they waited for the answer. Finally Jax spoke.

"Jia was captured right outside of Derek's apartment," the Captain began summarizing the information he had pulled up. "A man in green Mandalorian armor with a clone face was with her-"

"Fett," Viz sighed. Jax carried on as if the interruption had not happened.

"-she was brought to the disciplinary center first, and then transferred onto base. Lord Vader has already interrogated her," Jax fell silent, blinking rapidly as he held his emotions in check. "And Commander Appo is with her right now."

Viz let out a sharp string of curses and Tenger threw his helmet onto the ground. The rest of the squad waited for Jax's order, but the Captain was quiet.

"What do we do?" Zjarr asked at last. He was usually the first one to ask the questions they all had; and recently the only one brave enough.

"We can't _do _anything," Jax spoke quietly. "Not right now."

"Jax, she's in there with _Commander Appo_," Peixe said the name with extra emphasis. "You know what he does to the women he interrogates."

"Jia's a big girl," Viz's voice was also soft and quiet. "She can take care of herself."

"Not with Appo she can't," Tenger was the most soft-spoken and thoughtful of the group, though he could get angry, especially when it came to the subject of anyone in the squad or Jia.

"If she got captured, she has a plan," Jax's voice was louder than necessary, a sign of how hard he was trying to keep his feelings under control. "She won't want us messing it up."

"Maybe she could let us in on it?" Havet suggested hopefully. Jax and Viz shared a glance, and the rest of the squad gathered in a loose circle out of habit. They knew that look. It was the look of a clever, deceitful, possibly deadly plan. It was the look Jia had passed onto them.

* * *

_So this is where the story starts to get a little darker, but you guys suffered through Ahsoka's mistaken death and Rex's possibly suicide, not to mention Jia's memories from working under Wolffe, so I'm pretty sure you can handle it. ibonek was a big, big help for generating ideas; thank you so much. I'm leaving the country tomorrow for Costa Rica for a two week Service Challenge and there's no electronics allowed. I still want to know what you think, though! :)_


	14. Stronger Than Me

**Stronger Than Me**

Commander Appo pressed his hand over Jia's mouth and nose, not allowing her to breathe. She squirmed and struggled, but after having been "interrogated" by him for the past hour her strength was failing. Appo raised his eyebrows at her, a smile making his mouth twitch; he found her predicament amusing.

"You need to learn to behave yourself," he murmured in her ear. Jia's struggling caused her body to rub against his and Appo pressed her harder into the wall. She whimpered and tried to arch away from the wall. Appo ground against her and Jia screwed her eyes shut and attempted to turn her head away from him. His lips grazed along her jawbone to her ear, where he nipped the skin, leaving a bruise for later. Jia's body jerked slightly in pain.

"Are you going to be a good little girl?" he asked her quietly. Jia shook her head and bit at his fingers, momentarily dislodging his hand. She sucked in a deep ragged breath before he slammed her head hard against the wall. Spots danced in front of her eyes and pain exploded in her skull. Appo growled quietly in the back of his throat. "Alright, little girl, I'm done playing nice."

"You never play nice," Jia gasped. Appo shoved her down onto the cot and then tangled his hand in her hair and dragged her back up so she was kneeling before him. The Commander pretended to think for a moment before producing his jackknife from his utility belt.

"Your hair is a safety hazard," he said, dragging the tip of the knife across the back of her neck from ear-to-ear, barely applying pressure but pressing hard enough to leave a thin trail of blood. "I think it needs to be cut shorter."

He adjusted his hand so all of her hair was gripped in it and brought the knife down on it. Jia clenched her teeth as her hair pulled painfully, the knife breaking it rather than cutting it. When Appo finally released her, her hair had been shortened so it hung scraggly and uneven at the middle of her neck. Jia lay on the cot, glaring up at the clone.

He was having his fun with her, she knew. He was playing with his food before he ate it. She knew it was only a matter of time, probably a few minutes at this point, before he decided to finish up the "interrogation;" only a matter of time before he raped her.

"You're no fun, little girl," Appo let out a false sigh and started removing his armor, plate-by-plate. Jia swallowed hard and forced her eyes to focus on some distant point just over his shoulder. Despite the fact that she wasn't watching him, she was able to keep tabs on all his movements. So it shouldn't have surprised her when he yanked her off the cot again and shoved her face-first against the wall, but it did.

One hand held hers together raised above her head while the other traveled over and down her body. Jia bit her lip and swallowed multiple times to keep from vomiting. She had suffered through many different forms of interrogation and torture before, but never rape. It was a different kind of torture on a whole other level.

The assassin forced her thoughts to blank; forced herself into the depths of her mind, her memories. It worked for a while. She was vaguely aware of Appo tearing at her clothes or touching her, but she was able to ignore it. She had become detached, lost in her own head. The trance-like state was enough to keep her sane until the Commander took her; until he was inside of her.

In the instant it happened, something in her shattered. Maybe it was her heart, maybe it was her mind. Maybe it was her humanity. She let out an ear-splitting shriek and jerked so wildly it forced Appo out and off of her. Screw her training, screw the rules given to her by Wolffe; she was going to do things her way.

The fight with Appo was fierce but brief. The torture Jia had received at his hands during the last hour made her weak and unstable. Even though her resolve was strong, her body was frail and fatigued and her mind was numb with pain.

After he was sure he had her under control again, Appo called in another clone. It was the Sergeant from the squad that had transferred her. Jia retreated into herself once more, ignoring the two clones as they conferred with each other quietly for a moment; ignoring the Sergeant when he, too, removed his armor.

She remained silent when Appo threw her roughly into the Sergeant and screamed as loud as she could when he took her. She screamed curses and names in all the languages she knew. She screamed words of hate and fury. She screamed, but not in pain. She screamed in anger. She didn't cry or beg or plead for mercy. She screamed. And when her voice was so raw she couldn't scream anymore, she struggled and fought against them. She knew it was futile, that nothing would come of it, but it didn't stop her. Being still and letting them have their fun without doing anything would be worse.

The two clones took their turns, over and over again, until Jia was sure she was going to rip in half. They left bruises and gashes; gouging her skin with their nails; biting, clawing, and scratching wherever they could.

When they finally decided they were done, Appo threw her down onto the cot and the Sergeant kicked her in the side and spit on her. They redressed quickly and efficiently while Jia glared at them through narrowed eyes and made unseemly hand gestures at them whenever they glanced at her. Appo pulled her up from the cot and hit her one last time on the most sensitive part of her anatomy, just for good measure.

It wasn't until the Appo and the Sergeant left, and that she was sure the hallway was empty for the moment, that she cried. It wasn't loud crying, just soft sobs and tears that trickled down her cheeks. She checked the cell and realized Appo or the Sergeant had taken what had been left of her clothes, leaving her nothing to cover herself with.

The cell was cold and the cot was hard and dirty. Shivering and gasping through her sobs, Jia curled up and closed her eyes. Maybe she would dream. Maybe she would see someone she loved. She hoped it would be Lavinia, or maybe Gavin or Kayla or Cody.

She had a nightmare. It was of Lavinia, Gavin, Kayla, and Cody.

* * *

Lylla stood in the fields that surrounded Kyrimorut. The sky was clear, the stars and moon bright, bathing everything in a pale silver. Derek had stood with her for a while and then gone to put the children to sleep. Now she was alone. It was nice, peaceful.

Surprisingly, Vau's pet, Mird, was lying at her feet, leaning against her legs, offering companionship in the chilly night. It was currently winter on Mandalore, and everything was covered in snow. Lylla didn't feel the cold though.

After many more minutes, she sighed.

"Come on, Mird," she said quietly to the animal, "let's get back inside and to bed." Mird stood up and stretched, walked a few paces towards the door to the bastion then stopped and waited for the mother. Lylla smiled slightly. She had grown fond of Mird over the past few weeks, and, fortunately, Prima had learned to tolerate the six-legged beast.

When they got to the main room, Mird padded into the darkness of one of the hallways; towards Vau's room. Lylla watched the animal disappear into the blackness and then turned and walked softly to her room. Even though they didn't have to pretend to be married anymore, Lylla and Derek still shared a room for the convenience of both of them being available at the same time if something happened to the kids; who also shared the room.

She was walking past one of the clones' room, she forgot which one, when she heard a soft whimper and then the sound of someone thrashing around. Curiously and cautiously she opened the door and stood in the doorway, peering into the room. The moonlight was just bright enough that she could see it was Jaing, asleep and having a nightmare. She could tell by the way his face was contorted into fear and pain and his body was rigid. He almost seemed to be paralyzed by whatever was haunting his sleep.

Lylla thought for a moment. She could just leave and pretend she hadn't witnessed this; she knew the clones, the Nulls especially, didn't appreciate being seen as anything other than strong. _Just like Jia, _she thought. But turning her back while someone was in pain, be it mental, physical, or emotional, just didn't sit well with Lylla. So she stepped silently into the room and approached the bed.

"Jaing," she called softly. The only response she got was a twitch of his hand; it looked as if he were reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. Lylla grimaced and stepped closer. She reached out to touch his shoulder and hesitated, her hand hovering above Jaing's arm. While she was reconsidering, Jaing jerked suddenly, causing his arm to smack against Lylla's hand.

She gasped and jumped back, but it was too late. With a wild light in his eyes, Jaing grabbed her and flipped her over, pinning her to the bed underneath him, his knee at her belly button, his arm pressing down on her throat. Lylla struggled to get free. She was scared, terrified. Then she looked up into his amber eyes and saw he was as scared as she was, maybe even more so. He was still stuck in his nightmare. Lylla swallowed and maneuvered her hand so she could touch his side.

"Jaing, it's me," she said in her sweet, quiet voice. "It's Lylla. It was only a bad dream. It can't hurt you anymore…" as she spoke, the wild light disappeared and he started trembling. Suddenly he shifted his position, wrapping his arms around Lylla's slender body and burying his face in the nook between her neck and shoulder.

His weight was crushing her, pressing her further into the mattress, and she was about to say something when she felt dampness on her skin. Jaing was crying; holding onto her and crying. It was the last thing she had been prepared for. She remained silent until she started getting light-headed from not being able to draw in full breaths.

"Jaing, I can't breathe," she gasped out. She was expecting him to let her up, she almost wanted him to; almost_._ Instead he simply moved slightly so most of his weight was to the side. His arms tightened around her, though. Lylla swallowed and took deep breaths to calm her nerves.

Her fear had flooded her with adrenaline, and now she was also starting to shake as it disappeared. Her hair was a mess, she knew, tangled and tousled, from when Jaing first attacked her, and for whatever it was irritating, even though it didn't matter.

Figuring it would be a while before she went anywhere, Lylla squirmed, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Jaing sucked in a ragged breath and froze, and Lylla suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Are you okay?" Lylla asked hesitantly.

"Lie still." The words were harsh and tight, and Lylla also froze, not daring to breathe. She felt the muscles in Jaing's arms tense and she was pulled even closer to him; so close she could feel almost every one of his hard, defined muscles. And then he relaxed again and Lylla drew in a shaking breath as her trembling got worse.

Jaing shifted again, moving so he could see her face. Lylla was surprised by the look of tenderness that had settled in his eyes, completely at odds with the naturally hard lines of his face.

"You're shaking," the comment was laced with curiosity. "Are you cold?" Lylla shook her head and swallowed again. Jaing seemed fine now, though he still wasn't letting her up.

"I'm scared," she whispered at last. Jaing looked slightly hurt.

"Of me?" Lylla averted her gaze. She wasn't trying to hurt his feelings.

"You hurt me, Jaing," the words were nearly inaudible. "I'm going to have bruises." The clone was silent for the longest moment, and then his head dropped.

"I'm sorry, Lylla," he said quietly. Despite the fact that he had told her to lie still, Lylla wriggled around until she got both her arms free. She placed them on his shoulders and felt that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"It's okay," she gave him a small smile. "And it's not just you I'm scared of." Jaing raised an eyebrow and Lylla opened her mouth to answer his unasked question. "I'm not a very brave person; lots of things scare me. The Empire, all of you crazy deserters, Mr. Kal, Vau…" she trailed off. Jaing chuckled but didn't say anything.

He rested his face against her neck once again, his breath warm puffs against her skin. Lylla felt his lips move and was about to ask what he was doing when she felt them move again and this time heard what he was saying.

"Thank you." She smiled, even though he couldn't see her.

"That's what family is for, right?" She felt rather than heard his sarcastic snort of laughter.

"I thought you weren't part of our family."

"Maybe I changed my mind," she had meant to say the words with a playful, teasing edge. Instead they came out soft and solemn.

* * *

Jia didn't think she had fallen asleep, but the next thing she was aware of after her "interrogation" was the ray shield disappearing and a clone she didn't recognize entering her cell. He tossed her a worn and filthy cargo blanket.

"Cover your disgrace," he snarled. Jia's eyes flashed angrily, but she wisely remained silent, just slowly uncurling and moving to retrieve the blanket from where it had landed a few feet away from her.

Her muscles were sore and stiff and she thought her skin was going to split open at any moment, but she pushed herself until she reached the blanket. She slowly unfolded it and wrapped it around her shoulders. As soon as it was around her body, the clone strode over to her and pulled her up off the ground. Jia couldn't stop the yelp of pain as her muscles and skin pulled. The clones didn't pause in his movements; in fact, they seemed to become even rougher.

She was blindfolded, gagged, and bound and dragged unceremoniously down multiple hallways, before being into another cell. Somewhere along the way, her blanket had been dropped and forgotten. She could hear the clone's retreating footsteps, and felt the body heat of many other people in the room.

After much painful twisting and grunting, she finally managed bring her arms around to her front. Using her teeth, she pulled the make-shift rope binders off, taking skin with it. She quickly pulled out the gag and reached down and felt along her rope shackles until she found the knot. Quickly, she untied it. Finally, she yanked her blindfold off, squinting in the darkness. When her eyes finally adjusted, she gasped at what she saw.

Troopers. Clone troopers. 501st clone troopers. 501st clone troopers from Torrent Squad. Her friends. There were other clones with them she didn't recognize, but she ignored them for the time being.

"Thanks for the help guys," she huffed at last, hoping they didn't notice how hoarse and dry her voice was; and hoping maybe to see an eye roll or an exasperated smile. Instead, there was nothing. They all stared at her with dull eyes, filled with defeat and longing for death.

Jia started tagging them with their names. Kix. Coric. Fives. Chopper. Fox. As she looked closer, she saw they were all naked and all bore the marks of torture handed out by the new Empire.

Fox had a tattoo that had been traced over by a knife. Multiple times. Kix had been beaten stripped of everything; there was nothing he could use to treat the wounds or comfort his brothers. Coric's jaw had been broken, impairing him from ever speaking again. Chopper's scars had all been reopened, again and again. And Fives… it looked like he had been hamstrung, his leg and foot bent at an odd angle, but in the dim light, Jia couldn't be sure.

"What the hell happened to you all?" she whispered at last, forcing back tears. Fives was the first to react to her presence. He dragged himself over to her and engulfed her in a bear hug, falling back on the ground as he did.

"Jia," he whispered, holding her tightly to his chest and burying his face in her hair. Jia cried out in pain, biting back sobs and blinking back tears, and Fives loosened his hold, but continued speaking. "Vodal'ika. You're alive. You made it out of the Temple. Oh, vodal'ika."

That was Jia's undoing. Her tears spilled over the edge of her eyes and she grasped Fives' hand, kissing the palm of it before holding it to her bare chest, letting him feel her heartbeat. Their nakedness didn't bother her; Fives would never do anything to hurt her, and even if he wanted to, he was too injured to do more than give her a hug and talk to her.

"Fives," she choked out. She peppered kisses all over his face and neck, and then gave him the best hug she could provide at the moment. After a few minutes, she moved off him and gently started feeling along his body with her hands, trying to determine where his injuries started.

As her hands trailed lower, he let out a soft hiss of pain. When she reached his hamstrung leg, he gave a small cry and jerked. Jia drew back and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Sorry!" she cried. He shook his head.

"Your warmth," he groaned. "It's good. It just brings back feeling." Jia just nodded and blinked away more tears. She carefully stretched herself out next to Fives, allowing her body heat to flow into his injured leg.

"What are you doing here?" Kix coughed at last. It seemed the others were finally coming out of their numb stupor. Jia motioned for him to come sit with her, and he did, after a moment of hesitation. Kix settled down next to her and she reached up and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his.

"Oh, you know, catching up with old friends," Jia tried to joke. She needed water; it hurt to talk. Kix shook his head.

"Not here, here," he amended. "I meant here as in this prison." Jia sighed.

"Dying," she whispered. Kix shook his head again, but this time it was a gesture of sadness but he didn't press the issue.

"Why are you in here with us?" Fives spoke up. Jia shrugged as best she could and grimaced as her injuries sent flares of pain through her body.

"Maybe the Empire thinks seeing yo guys like this will soften me up," she spat the last few words. "But they're wrong. I'm just as bad as you all."

Fox moved closer to Jia, studying her intensely.

"You've been with Commander Appo, haven't you?" he asked at last. Jia grimaced.

"Yeah, I have," she sighed again. No one said anything after that and Jia felt the silence settling thick and heavy over the group of them.

"I know what will make you guys feel better," she declared with as much energy as she could muster. "A song."

"Jia, no," Coric whispered. "If they find out you sing, they'll tear out your vocal chords." Jia gave a grim laugh.

"They probably will anyways," she told him. "I'll be giving them an attitude soon enough; I'm sure they'll get tired of my voice eventually." Chopper let out a snort of laughter, already shifting closer. Coric did the same, though the other clones in the cell just glared at Jia.

She started softly beating out a simple rhythm on the floor before beginning the song.

_"Oh, here I go again  
Walking the line killing time between my sins  
Oh, why do I come here?  
The ending is still the same  
I'm bring back old tears_

_I act like I don't know_  
_Where this road will go_

_Pour me something stronger, pour me something straight_  
_All these crooked voices, make them go away_  
_I can barely stand up_  
_I can hardly breathe_  
_Pour me something stronger than me_  
_Pour me something stronger than me_

_Sunrise hurts as much as you;_  
_You both come up when I don't want you to_  
_Oh, I can still hear you say_  
_That you and I will both be better off this way_

_These things that I run to  
What I put my heart through_

_Pour me something stronger, pour me something straight_  
_All these crooked voices, make them go away_  
_I can barely stand up_  
_I can hardly breathe_  
_Pour me something stronger than me_

_Pour me something stronger,_  
_Pour me something dark._  
_Pour it up so high so I can't feel my heart._  
_I can barely stand up._  
_I can barely breathe._  
_Pour me something stronger than me._  
_Pour me something stronger than me."_

The song ended and silence settled over the cell once more. Suddenly, one of the other clones, one Jia didn't know, scooted closer and gave her a tentative and awkward hug, conscious of her wounds. Jia returned it, feeling the dampness of his tears on her shoulder.

As she held this unknown clone and sat with her brothers, something snapped in her. Appo and the Sergeant had taken her humanity, but the joke was on them. Suddenly, dying here, in this prison, didn't seem like such a good idea. Her brothers were here, and they needed help. And as familiar figure approaching the cell caught her eyes, Jia started forming a plan. She had a pretty good idea of where she could get that help.

* * *

_So I am finally back! Costa Rica was great and I also got to go to Panama, but there is no running water, the water isn't potable, electricity is iffy, and the water is ice cold. Other than that, it was one of the best trips I have taken._

_This chapter is dark and ugly, and unfortunately the pain and hate doesn't stop here, but it does dwindle down in the next chapter. The song title is the same as the chapter title, and it's from some TV show I don't watch, but the song showed up on my Pandora station and I liked it. It's by the "Nashville Cast" in case anyone feels like looking it up. Love to hear what you think!_


	15. Sacrifice

**Sacrifice**

Jia was sound asleep, nestled between Fives and Kix. Like when they had been on the search mission, Fox and Fives had automatically defaulted to her being in command. Kix had also fallen into that mindset. Since Coric and Chopper didn't know her as well as the other three and were taking cues from their brothers.

"Jia," the voice was quiet and hesitant. The assassin woman shifted slightly in her sleep and then opened bleary eyes. It was Chopper. She offered him a half-smile and struggled to sit up.

"Yes, Chopper?" The scarred trooper looked pensive.

"Are you really here to die?" he asked at last. Jia forced her battered body to move, sliding out from between Kix and Fives and moving to sit beside Chopper.

"I don't know how much you've heard or know about me," she began. Chopper's lip curled up into a rueful smile.

"We've all heard the rumors," he said carefully. Jia mock groaned and he chuckled. "But I choose not to listen to most."

"Most?" Jia repeated incredulously. "Oh, no." Chopper chuckled quietly again.

"There were a few Fives started about what happened on that mission of yours." Jia raised an eyebrow.

"Really now? Fives started some rumors?" She turned to look at the sleeping ARC, who opened one eye when he heard his name.

"Sorry, boss," he mumbled sleepily. "They were asking questions and I couldn't give them straight answers, so I just started a few rumors. Mostly dealing with Ly and Ciri."

"Oh, Fives," Jia gasped, horrified. "You wouldn't!" Fives smiled at her.

"Don't worry; there were a few about you and pretty boy," he pretended to offer comfort. "Oh, and Fett. Couldn't resist sticking him under the spotlight." Jia shrugged.

"I don't blame you for throwing Baldy out there, but Lylla?" she sighed. "And Ciri. No wonder she was made a main target of the Empire." Fives' smile vanished immediately.

"Sorry, Jia," he murmured. Jia placed a comforting hand on his wrist.

"Fives, I know you get tired of me saying this, but never apologize; it is a sign of weakness." Fives gave a sarcastic snort.

"I'm feeling pretty weak right now," he pointed out. Jia rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, ARCie, and go back to sleep." Fives laughed, shifted slightly, and closed his eyes again. Once she was sure he was asleep again, Jia turned back to Chopper.

"To answer your question, Chopper, yes, I came here to die," she sighed. Chopper looked at her, confused.

"May I ask why?" Jia shrugged again.

"'Course you can; I'm not the boss here. You can ask any question you want," she told him. "But, one thing not very known about me is that I like to play games. Mind games. My known title is 'assassin,' but I'm also a conman and a thief.

"I came here to play a game; I let myself be captured. The way the game ends, though, is with my death. If I did this correctly, I would win, but I would still be killed."

"If you did it correctly?" Chopper repeated. Jia smiled.

"I've decided to change my mind," she explained. "I'm getting you all out. And Shadow Squad is going to help me."

* * *

"But how come Uncle Bardan gets to go into town?" Maddison whined. "I want to go into the city, too!"

"Maddie, no!" it came out more harshly than Lylla intended and she softened her tone. "The only reason Bardan is going is because I asked him to check up on something for me."

"It's not fair!" With that, Maddison stormed out of the room. Prima gave a soft sigh and padded after her master. She gently nudged Lylla's hand when she passed the mother, and Lylla scratched the animal behind the ear before she continued on.

Derek came up to her from where he had been staying safely out of the argument and handed her Briley.

"'Mir and Ciri are with Besany right now," he told her. "She has them playing some game with wooden blocks. They're entertained enough for the moment." He cradled Kino and gave Lylla a gentle smile. "Briley was asking for you."

Lylla looked down at her daughter; at Jax's daughter.

"Do you think he'll ever get to see her?" she asked quietly. Derek's smile faded. He knew she was talking about her husband.

"Even if he doesn't, he'll always love her," he comforted. "And you and Ciri." Lylla allowed herself to remain sad for a moment longer and then she shook it off.

"What about Kino?" she asked. "I hope Jia will come back to her son, even though I doubt she'll survive that long. And Fett… well, he doesn't like being connected to someone longer than he has to."

"He's one of Shadow," Derek blurted out suddenly. Lylla raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I want to hear this explanation," she said.

"I have a friend who works in ordnance," Derek explained, and Lylla remembered that his dad had been an arms dealer for the Separatists. She was glad he hadn't decided to follow in daddy's footsteps. "Actually, she sells it. A clone in green and grey Mandalorian armor and a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes bought quite a bit a few weeks ago. Coincidentally, the authorities visited her a few days after the first Shadow attack because the explosives had been bought from her."

"Why didn't you tell Mr. Kal?" Lylla asked. Derek gave her his 'really?' look.

"Why didn't you tell him you knew Jia was involved when Shadow first appeared?" he shot back. Lylla sighed, but a smile was tugging at her lips.

"Fair enough." The two were silent for a few moments before Derek spoke up again.

"Let Maddie go with Jusik," he said at last. "It will be good for her. She's grown fond of him, and he'll keep her safe." Lylla opened her mouth to argue then closed it again and nodded.

"Okay. I'll go talk to her."

She found the eight-year-old sitting on a low branch of a tree, Prima balanced on the limb next to her.

"Maddie, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked quietly. Maddison was still for a moment before complying, sliding out of the tree, Prima following her dutifully to the ground.

"I'm sorry I was being rude," the little girl mumbled before Lylla could say anything.

"It's forgiven and forgotten, Maddie," Lylla gave the girl a smile. "Actually, I was going to say that, yes, it is okay for you to go with Bardan." Maddison's face lit up.

"Really?" she asked excitedly. Lylla laughed.

"Yes, really," she said. "Buy me something sweet and sugary, yes?" Maddison nodded enthusiastically and Lylla gave the girl a kiss on her head. She got up to leave, but Maddie pulled on her hand gently, tugging her adopted mother back down next to her.

"Is Jia mad at me?" she asked quietly. Lylla blinked, surprised by the question, and Maddison continued. "I told her I hated her after Jacob was killed. I told her it was her fault the clones killed him. I-" the little girl broke off with a sob "-I didn't even say good-bye to her when we left."

Lylla pulled the little girl up into a hug.

"She was never mad you," she told her. "She never would be."

"I'll never get to see her again, will I?" Maddison whispered. Lylla just hugged the girl.

"I don't know," she said at last. "Last time I checked, she was with Fett. He might not like her, but he's the one that got her pregnant, and she's his best chance at seeing Kino."

"Would he want to see Kino?" Maddison had thought the cold, stoic bounty hunter would want nothing to do with his son. Lylla shrugged.

"Let's hope so," she said, only half-joking. "Otherwise they'll end up fighting and one will probably end up dead." Maddison giggled and got up.

"Come on, Prima." The animal stood up and stretched. Lylla stayed sitting in the snow for a few minutes, watching as Maddison and Prima made their way back to the bastion.

In her arms, Briley let out a gurgle and wiggled. Lylla looked down at her child and felt another twinge of sadness.

"You'd like your Baba, baby," she whispered. "He loves you very much. He'll come visit you some day. He'll come back to me and Ciri, too. He promised." She stopped talking, feeling foolish. The baby couldn't understand her. But the words had needed to be said. At least she could cry in front of Briley, and not have to worry about the child thinking her mom was falling apart; if only for a little while.

* * *

Chopper stared at Jia.

"Shadow Squad?" he echoed, confused. Jia looked at him suspiciously.

"Yeah, Shadow Squad," she repeated. "You've met them: Jax, Viz, Tenger, Havet, Ouro, Peixe, and Zjarr. Sound familiar?"

"Your Shadow Squad," the confusion left his eyes as Jia nodded in confirmation.

"Is there another Shadow Squad you know?" now she was curious.

"I went on special assignment with a different Shadow Squad," he spoke slowly; hesitantly. Jia was silent for a moment as she thought, and then her eyes lit up.

"I've heard of them!" she exclaimed. Fives grumbled at her to shut up and she lowered her voice. "They worked with a General Kelly Hally, right?" Chopper snorted.

"Kalinda Halcyon," he corrected. "But yes. And, you were close with the name. Kelly Hally." He repeated her mistake under his breath, and Jia could see he was trying not to laugh.

"Oh, shut up," she muttered, though a smile was causing her lips to twitch.

"How are you planning on getting us out?" Chopper wasn't done with his questions.

"Well, Jax and crew should be checking up on me soon," she said. "That's when."

"Do you all have a plan?"

"We don't need a plan," the words were sharper than Jia had intended them to be. "Jax and I… well, we've worked together so long that we don't need to share plans. We already have a pretty good idea of what the other one is thinking." Chopper backed down after that. One of the rumors he had heard, which was proving to be true, was that this assassin woman had a temper.

They lapsed into silence once again and he could see Jia was starting to fall back asleep. He was considering doing the same when the ray shield that kept them all stuck inside the cell disappeared and Commander Appo stalked in, followed by two other troopers. Everyone was awake in an instant, and Jia stood up, moving to stand protectively in front of the clones.

"What do you want, Apple?" she snarled. Appo's helmet tilted her way for a moment and then he brushed past her to Fives. The ARC cried out in pain as his leg was jostled. Jia limped so she blocked Appo's way back out of the cell. "I said, _what do you want_?"

Instead of answering, Appo passed Fives off to one of the other troopers and grabbed for Jia. She attempted to dodge his grasp, but her injuries impeded her effort. Appo snapped binders over her wrists and dragged her out into the hallway. She twisted and kicked, but was still weak from his earlier assault on her. The other trooper came over to assist the Commander, but he waved him off.

"I have a question to ask you, little girl," he growled at last. Jia glared at him.

"What makes you think I'll answer?" In answer to her question, Appo turned her towards where Fives was now being restrained by four troopers and another one was hold a vibro-blade over the ARCs good leg; the one that hadn't been hamstrung.

"Because if you don't, your friend won't be able to use either of his legs ever again." Jia's eyes narrowed and hardened.

"That's why you put me in there with them," the understanding suddenly dawned on her. "You wanted me to relax, to settle down; and then you were going to use one as leverage against me." As she spoke, she was aware of the others in the cell shifting so they could see what was going on.

"Don't answer them, Jia," Fives whispered. It was so quiet she could barely hear him, but she did. Jia swallowed and turned her attention back to Appo.

"What do you want to know?"

"Who is Shadow?" Jia snorted.

"That's all?" she asked. Jia smirked up at the Commander. "_I _am Shadow."

"Nice try," Appo said. "But another Shadow attack happened while you were in here. So I'll ask again: who is Shadow?"

Jia ground her teeth and glazed her eyes over. Who was Shadow? That was a good question. She was Shadow. Baldy was Shadow. Shirya and Q were Shadow. She had even gotten Ventress to aid in one of the attacks. There was no one single "Shadow." Shadow was everywhere.

"I don't know," she answered at last. Appo forced her head to turn back so she could see Fives.

"One more time," he snarled in her ear. "Who is Shadow?" As he spoke, the knife was lowered to Fives' leg and Jia saw blood spurt as it broke skin. Fives gasped in pain and Jia tensed.

"Don't tell them, Jia," the ARC ground out. Jia glanced over her shoulder and saw the others in the cell watching with an intensity that scared her.

"Tell, Jia," it was Kix, with his quiet, gentle voice. "Tell them or I will. I know who the other Shadow is."

"No!" Fives sucked in a deep breath and Jia felt nauseated. She couldn't handle watching her friend get hurt while she was powerless to do something. She wanted to screw her eyes shut and turned her head away, but kept them open for Fives' sake.

"Fine!" she shouted. "Shadow is-" Fives interrupted her with a loud cry and Appo cursed. At that moment, Jax and Viz came running down the hallway at full speed.

"Jia, brace!" Jax called to her. It was the word they had used on the mission to signal a coming explosion. Sure enough, the control panel to the cell was blown off the wall and the ray shield disappeared once more.

In the moment of smoke and confusion, Jia took the opportunity to twist away from Appo, ignoring the way her injuries screamed at her. She got over to Fives, yanked the knife out of the clone's hand and promptly slit his throat with it.

The rest of Shadow Squad was suddenly around her. Two, Jia recognized them as Zjarr and Tenger, took Fives and started dragging him urgently down the hallway; in the direction of escape.

"Jax, the others," Jia cried. She felt a strong arm come around her and found herself looking into the visor of Peixe.

"We've got them, Jia," he murmured. "Don't worry. We're all getting out."

Peixe scooped her up into his arms and started running. Jia let out a breath of relief and allowed herself to relax slightly. Peixe would take care of her; all of her brothers would. Now they just had to make it out of Galactic City. Or Imperial City. Or whatever it was called these days.

The last thing she was aware of was Havet injecting her with an anesthetic and telling her that everything would be okay.

* * *

Jia woke to find an orangey-red colored Twi'lek bent over her, treating one of her multiple injuries. She coughed and groaned. Coughing hurt. So did blinking and breathing. So did everything else.

"You are up sooner than I expected," the Twi'lek spoke with a lilting accent that drew out his words. Jia attempted to shrug.

"Yeah, I do that," she coughed again. "Drugs don't work so well on me."

"She's up?" this time she recognized the owner of the voice: Kix.

"Don't act so surprised," Jia grouched. The Twi'lek smiled slightly and returned to his work. Jia chose to ignore him for the moment. "Where the hell are we, who the hell are these people, and what the hell are you wearing?" The last question was because she had finally caught sight of Kix and he was dressed in something that was so bright and flashy that it almost hurt her eyes to look at it. "It's like a genocide of colors or something."

Kix grimaced.

"It's better than nothing," he said at last. Jia shook her head.

"I don't agree," she muttered. "When there was nothing I could look at you and not lose my sight due to the horrific design on your shirt." The Twi'lek chuckled and Kix just rolled his eyes.

"You seem to be feeling better," he commented, coming to sit next to her.

"I'm not," Jia said simply. Kix raised his eyebrows.

"Your attitude says differently."

"My attitude always says differently."

"You need to keep it in check."

"You keep yours in check."

Kix sighed and gave up. Just like when she had first ended up in the medbay, her mood was reflecting how frustrated she was to be injured.

"We got them all out," he said after many minutes of silence. "Well, Jax and Shadow Squad did. I couldn't do much until we got here."

"Where is 'here?'" Jia almost snapped the question and Kix sighed inwardly. She would a living hell until her injuries were healed to her standards.

"Jax had a couple buddies with a ship waiting for us when we got off the base," the medic answered. "He has some good contacts."

"How is everyone else?" it seemed like she had ignored his answer, but he knew she had filed it away in memory and moved on to the next most important topic.

"Fives is unconscious; he'll need a bacta tank when we get there," Kix started. "Coric, Chopper, and Fox are okay. They've already been treated. Shadow Squad suffered some minor scrapes and bruises, but they've learned some interesting techniques from you that helped us out. And the others in the cell are fine." Jia let out a long breath and closed her eyes.

"Where is 'there'?" Kix glanced at the Twi'lek, who met his gaze but didn't say or do anything other than continue cleaning Jia's cuts.

"I'll explain after you sleep some," he said at last. Jia's eyes snapped back open and she glared at him.

"You'll explain right now," she huffed. Kix grinned.

"Jia, you don't have the authority to tell me what to do," he reminded her. The assassin let out a soft growl and closed her eyes again.

"Fine, who are these people?" Kix smiled. He had overheard her conversation with Chopper in the cell.

"Some of Chopper's friends," the medic said. "The other Shadow Squad." Jia snorted.

"You're kidding," she muttered.

"I'm not," Kix was serious; she could tell by his tone of voice.

"What's your name?" Jia's question was directed at the Twi'lek.

"Ares," he answered, and Jia's eyes opened again. She opened her mouth to say something then closed it. Apparently it hadn't been that important.

"Where's Jax?" she asked after a few minutes. "I wanna talk to him."

Kix swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Jia, there's something I need to tell you." At his words, the blonde-haired woman's eyes narrowed suspiciously but she remained silent. "Jax was in the rear," Kix wasn't sure how to tell her this. "Jia, he's-" He was cut off by Jia.

"My brother's dead, isn't he?" the words were soft, nearly inaudible. They didn't sound like a question, simply a statement that needed confirmation. Kix nodded and Jia closed her eyes tightly. Tears were forming in the corners of them, some already leaking out onto her face.

"He was holding-," again Kix was interrupted by Jia.

"Kix, stop it," the words were a ragged whisper. "It doesn't matter how he died. The only thing I care about is that he's dead." More tears ran down into her ears; her next words were only mouthed. "Jax is dead."

* * *

_So, I know you all must hate me, but Jax's death was a necessity. In my defense, I thought long and hard and almost didn't. But I did. And you guys just have to suck it up. Kalinda Halcyon, Ares, and the other Shadow Squad belongs to laloga. She was nice enough to let me borrow her characters and a planet that will pop up in chapters soon to come. They all star in her series 'Eye Of The Storm' and two stories before that. I suggest checking them out; they're pretty good and I absolutely love them.  
Anywho, tell me what you think (or how angry you are at me for killing off Jax)!  
_


	16. Pit-Stops And Blinky Things

**Pit-Stops And Blinky Things**

After all the refugees had been fitted with a mixed assortment of clothing, the announcement had been made that they had to stop on some planet Jia didn't bother to remember the name of to gather supplies of some sort. She had forced her grief and pain to the back of her mind, something she was unfortunately quite good at.

"Can I get off, too?" She had plastered a false smile onto her face, not wanting anyone to see her cry. The clone that had come with Ares, he had introduced himself as Traxis, glanced at her then at Ares. The Twi'lek medic shrugged.

"I wouldn't suggest it," he said. Kix sighed and shook his head.

"She doesn't even care about your opinion," he spoke quickly, cutting Jia off as she opened her mouth to argue. "It was her own special way of warning you that she's coming, whether you approve or not."

There was a moment of silence and then Traxis shrugged.

"Come on," he started walking down the ramp. "We don't have a lot of time."

"Wait, wait," Jia darted in front of Traxis. "I need a weapon. Preferably a knife." Kix rolled his eyes.

"Get one on the way." He reached past Traxis to give Jia a light shove down the ramp. She stumbled forwards slightly and started to turn around, paused and continued down the ramp.

"Well, hurry up then," she called over her shoulder. Traxis and Ares exchanged glances again and then followed her down.

* * *

Traxis tried not to shift impatiently. They had already been planet-side longer than he would have liked on a good day; and today was by no means a 'good day.' Ares made the final purchase and Traxis started walking back towards the ship, Ares matching his pace.

The planet seemed to have been untouched by the Wars, though it wasn't a very friendly-looking place. The sky was covered in a permanent cloud of grey smog and dust so it looked like it was always either dusk or nighttime.

The Empire had placed troops on the planet, but their presence wasn't strong; only a few patrols were seen here and there. Despite that fact that he had in colored contacts and a cloth disguise that only revealed his face, Traxis kept expecting to be recognized by one person or another.

"Did you get what you needed?" the clone asked.

"Yes," Ares answered. "Even found those specialty parts Weave wanted." Traxis nodded once.

The ship came into view and he let out a soft breath of relief. Almost there. Then they could get going again. Jia came jogging up, slightly out of breath. Her face was flushed pink and her hair was even more of a mess than it had previously been.

"Got my knife," she reported somewhat proudly and Ares chuckled quietly.

"Good for you- just don't use it," Traxis said. _Now we can leave. _As he thought that, though, a group of Stormtroopers rounded a corner and caught sight of them.

"Hold it right there," one ordered. Jia stiffened.

"Uh-oh," she sing-songed under her breath. Traxis had to agree; this was a somewhat 'uh-oh' situation they were suddenly stuck in.

"Identification," the Stormtrooper that had spoken approached them, and then froze. "I know you," he said to Jia. The assassin shook her head.

"No, you don't," her tone was arrogant and annoyed. "I would never consort with… _artificial _people."

Traxis had a hard time keeping a straight face, as he fought a scowl. He knew her words had been said to cause the Stormtroopers discomfort, but it sounded too true and honest for him to like.

"You took a knife," the Stormtrooper spoke again, and again Jia shook her head.

"No, I didn't," she snapped. "Stop making up lies. I'm in a hurry to see my boyfriend, and he doesn't like it when I keep him waiting. So if you'll just excuse me…" She pushed past the Stromtroopers, but one caught her arm and she stilled. "Let. Go. Of. My. Arm." Her voice was low and dangerous.

"You need to come with us for questioning, ma'am," it was a different Stormie than the one that had done all the other talking. Jia raised an eyebrow.

"Do I?" When she got no answer, she nodded slowly and then with surprising speed spun out of the troopers grasp, grabbed something from his belt, and ran. Most of the squad chased after her, leaving only three standing near Traxis and Ares.

The two men wasted no time in downing the Stormtroopers. After they were sure the troopers were in a nice pile that wasn't too visible to someone who wasn't looking, they started after Jia. They found her cornered on a bridge, surrounded by twice as many troopers as had been first pursuing her.

"Fierfek," Traxis cursed under his breath. When Jax had contacted Shadow Squad, he had specifically asked them to keep an eye on all of the "other" Shadow Squad, including the girl he had adopted as his little sister: Jiana Sasha White. At first, no one had really understood why, but had agreed anyways. Now Traxis knew why; this woman was beyond crazy. As if to prove his point, she gave the Stormtroopers a mock salute and stepped backwards off the bridge.

* * *

"What the _hell where you thinking_?" Viz was chewing Jia out after her intentional plummet off the bridge. Traxis, Ares, and the assassin had made it safely back to the ship with Stormtroopers hot in pursuit. Now they were only a few hours from their destination; and Viz had spent the entire time arguing with Jia.

"I _wasn't_ thinking," she snapped. "When I go under attack, I don't think. You know that. It's the way I trained you."

"Maybe if you did think sometimes you wouldn't have to jump off bridges." Jia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please; you would have done the same thing in my position."

"I wouldn't have gotten stuck in your position in the first place."

"Yeah, but if you had-"

"Stop trying to get off topic!" Jia's eyes narrowed and she huffed.

"I had the ascension cable. I was fine. And it was really fun; kind of like flying," she worked to get her tone even and calm down. Viz made a visible effort to do the same, and after many deep breaths his face relaxed some.

"Why where they after you in the first place?" he asked. Suddenly Jia's face shifted from exasperated to suspiciously innocent.

"No reason," she said brightly. Viz's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her face.

"Don't lie to me, Jia," he sighed at last.

"They said she stole a knife," Traxis spoke up and Jia's head swung around to glare at him. Viz's eyebrows rose.

"Did they now?" he asked, sounding almost exactly like the woman standing in front of him. She offered him a hesitant smile and he gave her the 'you better start explaining' look. She sighed.

"Kix is the one who told me to get a knife; let's just clear that up."

"He didn't mean steal one off a Stormtrooper!"

"Maybe I didn't."

Viz just held out his hand and Jia sighed. She dug around in the large pocket of her borrowed jacket for a moment before producing an Imperial-issued jackknife. She stared at it longingly for a few seconds and then smacked it into Viz's palm. He made a fist around it and looked up at Jia.

"Really, vodal'ika?" he sounded resigned and tired, as if he wasn't really surprised by what she had done. Which, she figured, he wasn't. She looked at him, exasperated.

"What?" she cried. "I'm a thief!"

* * *

When they landed on their destination planet the sun was just starting to set. A surprising amount of people had gathered, waiting for the ship to get to the surface. Jia was able to pick out many clones from the crowd and smiled. It made her happy that at least some had found a way out. That happiness helped dissolve a tiny bit of her grief and anger surrounding Jax's death

The ship hit the ground with a slight jolt and let out a hiss of steam as the ramp lowered to the ground. Shadow Squad, save for Viz, were the first ones off, followed closely by the refugees. Fives was helped down by Traxis and Ares, and Jia came out last with Viz walking a step behind her. She had no doubt he was keeping an eye on her, something that had previously been Jax's job, to make sure she did nothing crazy.

Already there everything was a blur of action around her. A woman- Jia couldn't decide in the dimming light if her hair was red or orange- was directing the injured into a low building. Another woman, this one dark-haired and dark-eyed, was conversing with Traxis while Ares returned to the ship to finish powering it down. Suddenly someone was at her side, gently holding her elbow and leading her in the direction the other injured had gone. Jia looked up and realized it was a clone. Unlike any other clone she had seen before, though, this one had a crescent-shaped metal device around his left eye that blinked with light.

"Who are you?" her tone was ruder than she had meant it to be, and she repeated the question, albeit more respectfully.

"Weave," he answered her. "Former medic." Jia immediately started pulling against him.

"No, I'm not injured. I don't need to go to your medical center. I'll be fine…" She continued to argue with him as he more or less dragged her into the low building and over to a bio-bed. It was only when he got her onto the bed that she gave up.

Kix came over and assisted Weave in stripping her of the borrowed clothing and started redressing the wounds. Jia flinched and whimpered occasionally as they were bandaging some of the more serious wounds. When the two medics finally finished, the assassin breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

"Thanks, guys," she mumbled. Kix grinned and glanced at Weave.

"She doesn't usually say that," he told the other medic. Weave nodded.

"You're welcome, White," he said. Jia let out a snort of laughter and yawned, already starting to fall asleep. Weave nodded to Kix and moved off to help with another one of the refugees. As he walked away he could hear Jia arguing with Kix.

"…want a blinky thing around me eye," the assassin was saying. Suddenly Weave felt self-conscious about his implant; something that hadn't happened for some time now, though he knew Jia wasn't trying to be mean.

"You don't need a blinky thing around your eye," Kix sighed.

"I _want_ one, though," the assassin growled.

"Get some light-up glasses, then," the medic snapped.

Weave chuckled as Jia continued to argue, saying, "But the blinky thing Weave has is better than light-up glasses. And I don't want light-up glasses."

"Okay, well, I'll find a cybernetic specialist on that right away," Kix sounded exasperated and worn down.

"You do that."

"Shut up and go to sleep."

"I still want a blinky thing."

Kix didn't respond, effectively shutting down the argument. For the moment. Weave had a feeling Jia would be reopening it as soon as she woke up.


	17. Let Go

**Let Go**

When Jia woke up, Viz was sitting silently next to her bed, waiting patiently for her to come back to the land of the living, no doubt.

"You're a mess," he said as soon as her eyes were open. Jia grimaced.

"Well, good morning to you, too," she snapped. Viz chuckled and placed a soothing finger on her wrist.

"Calm down, Jia," he told her. "You don't need to be so snippy." Jia grumbled something inarticulate in response and rolled over so her back was to Viz. He snorted and rolled his eyes. "You act like a child."

"You act like a bum," she muttered.

"Jia, you're twenty years old. You have a child and a boyfriend," Viz was getting tired of her attitude. "Grow up a little!"

Jia sat up straight and turned to glare at the clone.

"I did grow up; before you were even created! I had to, because my parents weren't around to raise my little brother or support my sister, so don't you even say that," she snarled. "And I can't mention Kino anymore without raising suspicion."

"Because he's Fett's child?" Viz asked, his anger spiraling upwards. "Why is that suspicious? Everyone understands the circumstances under which you had to sleep with him- even your own boyfriend."

"Kino is a _clone-fathered_ child," Jia hissed. "Just like Ciri, just like Briley. Word about them gets out, the Empire will be after them to use as leverage over me or Lylla or any of you guys, and the Kaminoans will be after them for scientific studies."

"What about Derek?" Viz noticed she hadn't mentioned her boyfriend's name once. Jia's outward mask of fury didn't change, but Viz knew her well enough to see the sudden discomfort in her eyes. He looked at her suspiciously, his annoyance and anger fading. "Jia, what happened with Derek?"

She looked down and swallowed. Viz waited patiently, knowing an explanation would be coming soon.

"I was with Fett after everyone left," she mumbled. "He helped me get 'Soka and Rex out of Coruscant and stayed to help me plan out and organize Shadow." Viz narrowed his eyes; something still wasn't right.

"Did you sleep with him again?" The question was quiet and gentle, but Jia flinched anyways.

"Yes," she whispered. Viz let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.

"Jia-," he started, but she cut him off.

"I know," she sighed. "There was nothing right about it. It wasn't forced on me like at Jabba's palace, I wasn't in a life-or-death situation, I have a boyfriend…" She trailed off and grimaced. Viz let out another sigh, but he needed a full explanation.

"Jia, tell me what happened." Jia bit her lip in thought and then nodded.

"I usually had the bed in Derek's room and he would sleep on the couch. I fell asleep early one night and he had to take a shower," she started. "The only 'fresher with a shower was through Derek's room so when he needed to shower he had to come through the bedroom. I was having a nightmare when he came out and he woke me up." She paused and Viz nodded.

"You asked him to lay with you, didn't you?" he guessed. "Because warmth and a heartbeat keep away the nightmares." Jia nodded again.

"He started touching me, but I didn't do anything to stop him," she continued. Viz shook his head.

"You're a mess," he decided. "I bet you have been since Order 66. That's why you're acting like this: Jax's death pushed you over the edge." Jia shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't know what you mean," she mumbled, not meeting his gaze.

"You sent your child, your best friend, her children, and your boyfri- and Derek away with a group of people you didn't know, but Jax had worked with. You had to witness Jacob getting killed- yes, we know about that- and Maddison said she hated you. You organized Shadow. You were taken to prison and raped-," he was interrupted by Jia.

"You don't know that," she muttered. Viz gave her the 'really?' look.

"Jia, I've known you since my training on Kamino. I had to live with you for over a year while we were on that rescue mission. I know you well enough to guess what happened to you in prison," he spoke briskly. "And after you were raped, your brother was killed trying to rescue you. The nicest way I can say this is: you are a hot mess."

Jia looked at him for a moment and then lay back down. She closed her eyes and turned her head away from Viz.

"I'm going to sleep."

Viz placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be waiting right here," he told her. He got no response and minutes later Jia's breathing evened out, indicating she was asleep once more.

* * *

Three days later Jia was limping around outside. It was hot and muggy, but she liked it. It reminded her of her home from nearly six years ago. She had avoided Viz and everyone else that had been rescued along with her; she didn't want to face them, especially "her" Shadow Squad, as people had started to call them now.

After a short, sleep-muddled conversation with Weave, she had discovered they had been brought to a planet called Mundali. The planet itself was surrounded by a giant Force shield that made it invisible. On top of the Force shield, it wasn't a very well-known planet in the distant Outer Rim, and those two factors combined meant it was probably the safest place for them at the moment.

Jia made her way to the nearest spring and sat down in one of the shallower parts. The water lapped at her stomach and chest, but the cool temperature felt good in the afternoon heat. She was alone for a little while, until footsteps made her turn her head. It was Havet, picking his way carefully down to her.

"No one's seen you for a while," he said as he settled down next to her. Jia shifted slightly so she could look at him while they were talking.

"Yeah, I know." The words made her think of when she had been arrested.

* * *

"_You got a plan for this, Blondie?" the bounty hunter hissed as the overweight man got closer._

"_I'm working on it," Jia growled through clenched teeth. The man was getting nearer and Boba started prepping his weapons. Suddenly Jia's eyes lit up. "Got it. We just accelerate our plans a little bit. You become the official leader of Shadow. You take my backpack and your duffel bag and leave; we can't let anyone get a hold of them. I'll stay here and cause the wonderful authorities of Coruscant a delay in pursuing you."_

"_That's a suicide mission," Boba pointed out. Jia yanked her backpack off the ground, looking at him from under her eyebrows as she did so._

"_Yeah, I know," she tossed him the backpack and he caught it expertly._

"_I've already warned you I'm not breaking your ass out of prison," he reminded her. Jia gave him her _'you're sounding like an idiot'_ look._

"_Yeah, I know," she repeated._

She shook the memory away and sighed.

* * *

"What do you need, Havet?" The clone shrugged.

"Viz wanted to talk to you, but you've been avoiding him and everyone else," he said. Jia pulled a face.

"He probably knows where to find me. He can come talk to me himself," she muttered. Havet looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Are you okay?"

Jia suddenly jumped up, unintentionally splashing Havet with water.

"Why is everyone asking that?" she asked in annoyance. "I'm _fine._" Havet chuckled.

"Well, Jia, you're not fine," he contradicted. "That's why everyone keeps asking." Jia let out a wordless growl and plopped back down beside him.

"Why are you here?" she grumbled. Havet stood up and offered a hand down to help her.

"I came to get you," he said. Jia glared at the hand for a moment before accepting it. Havet pulled her off the ground and held her until he was sure she had her balance. He led her back through the plants and trees to the settlement that was their temporary home.

As usual, the place was buzzing with activity, but Jia chose to ignore it. She kept her head down and pushed past anyone who got in her way until someone didn't move. Her head snapped up and she found herself face-to-face with Viz. She started to turn away from him but he grabbed her arm and held her in place. She tugged on her arm and upon finding she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, turned murderous eyes on Viz.

"Can I please walk away from you?" she ground out through clenched teeth.

"No, Jia, you can't," Viz sighed. He kept his tight grip on her arm as he led her back towards the woods, a little ways away from everyone else. Jia tensed. Something serious was probably going to happen if he was removing her from the rest of the crowd.

"What do you want?" she growled. Viz tossed her the jackknife she had pick-pocketed off of a Stormtrooper during their pit-stop on the way to Mundali. She caught it and looked down at it suspiciously before moving her gaze back to the clone in front of her.

"You're angry," Viz stated calmly. Jia nodded.

"Uh, yeah," she said, her temper starting to boil. "I've lost my son, my best friend, my little sister, my boyfriend, and my brother. I think I have the right to be angry."

"You need to learn how to let it go," Viz told the assassin quietly. "Your anger is what killed Gavin and Kayla in-" Jia had him on the ground with the knife at his throat in an instant.

"Do NOT say their names," she snarled, her face livid. "Not in that context. And you don't know _anything_ about what happened with them!" Viz regarded her calmly. He knew if she really wanted to kill him, she would have done it in the same moment she lunged at him.

"I know enough," his voice was still soft and even. "Wolffe sold them out to your mark because you were angry at him, and your anger made you a threat." Jia's entire body stiffened, the knife trembling against his neck. When she didn't say anything, Viz continued. "You were getting better, Jia. You were starting to heal. You had Maddison and Lylla and Derek. You had Kino and Ciri and Briley. You had us. You had a family again and you were getting better; calmer, less likely to explode.

"Then Order 66 happened. Jacob was killed right in front of you and you couldn't save him. Lylla and Derek took the children with them when you sent them away. You isolated yourself from the people who love you. And then Jax sacrificed himself so you could get safely away." Jia's breath caught in her throat and she forgot to breathe for a moment.

"You don't know how Jax died," she mumbled. Viz looked at her, slightly exasperated.

"Jia, I was there; right beside him." As soon as he said it, he knew it was a mistake. Jia froze and her jaw tightened.

"You were beside him?" she echoed. Viz grimaced inwardly.

"I know what you're thinking, but I did try," he spoke quickly and quietly, but Jia didn't seem to hear him.

"You were there beside him when my brother was killed?" She said it like a question, but he knew it was a trap. When he remained silent Jia shook her head and stood up, shoving Viz's shoulders as she did so. He jumped up and reached for her arm again.

"Jia-" She spun around, swinging the knife at the offending arm. Viz jerked away from her and went on the defensive. He had seen her fight with a knife; she had taught him to fight with a knife. He hadn't ever seen her so angry before, though. It was the look in her eyes that made him nervous.

"You were there beside him and you didn't do _anything_," she snarled. Viz blocked another swing and twisted her knife arm up behind her back. She tossed the knife to her other hand and spun under Viz's restricting arm, effectively escaping his grasp.

"I _tried_, Jia, I did. He was making sure we all got off the base. We weren't going to make it so he said he would cause a distraction. He fought like hell; you would've been proud of him. All the tricks we learned on Kamino and the ones you taught us. He told me to go ahead, and I started to, when he was shot down."

Jia leapt at Viz again, sweeping his feet from under him and aiming the knife at his stomach. Viz rolled out of the way as she threw the weapon and pulled her down on top of him.

"You were going to leave him?" She looked at Viz with absolute hatred. "Why would you leave him?"

"You trained us to," Viz reminded her softly. "Remember rule seventeen? 'Risking the team for one person isn't worth the risk; risking one person for the team is an honorable sacrifice.'" He quoted the rules she had taught to the squad and the muscles around her eyes tightened.

"Don't tell me my own rules," she hissed, but Viz knew his point had been made. He considered letting her get up when she attempted to repossess her knife. Viz yanked it out of arm's reach and moved away from her. Jia followed him and they resumed their lethal dance.

"I tried to save him, Jia," he spoke as he ducked under her leg and blocked a punch. "I went back to him, but he told me to leave. I would've been killed with him and he didn't want that."

"_I _want that," the assassin woman snarled. She was only saying things out of anger, he knew that, but her words still cut deep. He snapped.

"I didn't kill Jax!" he yelled. "So stop treating me like I did!"

"Then who killed him, huh?" Jia spat. "You just left him; you might as well have."

"It was Commander Appo," Viz tried to force his emotions back under control. "I saw him shoot Jax in the head after Jax went down." Jia shook her head.

"I don't believe you," she hissed. Viz looked at her with disbelief.

"You don't believe that the same man who interrogated you, the same man who _raped_ you, killed Jax?"

"Stop. Saying. His. Name!" Jia shouted. Viz stared at her.

"Jia, Jax is dead," he cried. "Get that through your head. Jax is dead, and there is nothing anyone can do about it!" Jia paused and met his gaze, and then suddenly collapsed ungracefully to the ground. She curled up in a tight ball, burying her head in her knees.

"Don't say it like that," she whispered. "Don't say his name like that. Please, don't." Viz tucked the jackknife back into his pocket and sat down next to her.

"Then don't yell at me," he said. "And don't get mad at me for something I didn't do." Jia rocked back and forth on the ground, her shoulders shaking and her breathing uneven.

"I'm sorry, Viz," her voice was a nearly inaudible gasp. "I didn't mean it." Viz's anger dissipated and he cautiously wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his side, relieved when she leaned into him rather than fight him.

"I know you didn't," he rested his cheek on the top of her head. "But I meant when I said you need to learn to let go of your anger." Jia swallowed and shifted slightly but didn't raise her head.

"I might have to do that some other day," she said, her words muffled by her legs. Viz pulled back slightly and looked at her suspiciously.

"Why?" he asked. He almost didn't want to know the answer. When Jia spoke again, he heard the grim smile in her voice.

"Because," she said casually, "I'm going to kill Commander Appo."

* * *

After Jia attacked him, Viz noticed she became very subdued. He was sure everyone else saw the change in her, too, but no one asked about it and for that he was relieved. He wasn't sure he could lie on Jia's behalf, knowing she wouldn't want anyone to know she spent the majority of her days tucked out of sight from everyone and crying for Jax. He wasn't sure he could tell the truth, either.

It was four days after their fight and Viz was visiting Fives, as the ARC had been removed from the bacta tank a few hours ago. All of the refugees and Shadow Squad had taken turns sitting and waiting for Fives in groups of three or four until Honi, the resident Jedi Healer, had sent all except one at a time away.

"Hey, ARCie," he greeted Fives. Fives turned his head, focusing his gaze on Viz. Viz grinned and sat down next to the ARC's bio-bed. "How ya feeling?"

"Like hell," Fives grouched, and Viz laughed. Fives grinned. "How're you? I heard about the, uh, argument with Jia." Viz grimaced.

"Already?" he complained. Fives let out a snort of laughter.

"Viz, the crazy assassin woman we call little sister tried to kill you," he said. "It was the first thing that was told to me." Viz sighed and shook his head.

"Yeah, well, better it be me she attacks than one of the locals," he muttered. Fives openly laughed.

"If I remember correctly what Chopper told me, this settlement is fairly new and the permanent residents of this place are outlaws and refugees," he told Viz. "Not locals, and I'm sure they could hold their own against Jia; no matter how angry she is."

"You know what I meant," Viz sighed again. Fives chuckled and acknowledged what the other clone said with a tip of his head. They were silent for a moment before the ARC spoke up again.

"Do you think Jia will come see me?" he asked. "There's something I want to talk to her about." Viz shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure she will, but she's been avoiding any other living creature she comes across," he told Fives. Fives sighed and fidgeted with the sheet that was draped over his naked body.

"Jax's death screwed her up bad, huh?" Viz grimaced again.

"Yeah, and Appo raped her, which didn't help things." Fives nodded.

"Another clone, too." Viz looked at him.

"What?"

"Another clone assaulted her, not just Appo," Fives elaborated. Viz looked at him warily.

"How do you know?" Fives rolled his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, vod," he sighed. "I could smell them on her when she was thrown into our cell. I knew Appo's scent because he was the one who did most of my interrogations; there was a second smell on her, though. A clone smell." Viz's cheek ticked.

"She didn't tell me that." Fives snorted again and Viz looked at the ARC, who raised his eyebrows.

"You expected her to admit it only took two men to break her?" he asked incredulously. "You aren't Jax, Viz, and I know you care about Jia, but Jax was truly the one she saw as her vod. She cares about the rest of us, but not like she did for him." Viz opened his mouth to respond when there was a soft knock on the wall. Both men turned to see Jia standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Is it a good time for me to visit, or do you want me to leave while you finish discussing me?" Fives let out a chuckle poorly disguised as a cough and Viz stood up.

"I'll come back later, ARCie," he told Fives. Fives nodded and turned his attention to the assassin approaching his bio-bed.

"Hey," she offered him a watery grin that was more like a half-grimace. Her eyes were red and puffy and she had tear streaks down her cheeks; she had been crying again.

Fives patted the bed next to him and Jia scrambled up, sitting cross-legged beside and facing him.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he began slowly. Jia nodded, encouraging him to continue; and he did. "I'm never going to be able to walk properly." Jia swallowed hard, probably fighting back more tears, and nodded again but didn't say anything. "I would only be a liability for you. I would slow you down, risk everyone else getting caught by the Empire."

"Fives…" Jia whispered his name, but didn't continue her thought. She held a finger up to his lips and shook her head. "Don't beat yourself up. The Empire did this to you; it isn't your fault." Fives nodded mutely and Jia attempted another smile; this one came out better than the last. She stretched out next to him, careful of his injured leg, resting her head on his arm.

He stroked her hair with one hand, remembering how long and beautiful it used to be. She hadn't gotten it cleaned up yet, so it was still scraggly and uneven.

"Apple cut it after deciding it was a safety hazard," Jia murmured. Fives could tell she was starting to fall asleep and couldn't help the smile that came to his face.

He doubted she had been sleeping well the past few nights, and knew that being next to a warm body and a steady heartbeat helped keep away her nightmares. He also knew she could ask any one of Shadow Squad or the 501st refugees, and they would probably allow her curl up next to them for a night or two. The smile was because she was stretched out beside him, falling asleep , not thinking twice about it. It meant she trusted him. That, in itself, was cause for another smile.

"I had a choice, you know," he spoke after many minutes of silence, and at first thought Jia hadn't heard him. Then she shifted and turned her face up to look at him.

"Choice of what?" she asked.

"Whether to be a good soldier, to follow orders and kill the Jedi," he said. Jia didn't even breathe for a few moments. The only sound was the soft beeping and whirring sounds the medical machines emitted.

"What do you mean?" she spoke at last and Fives closed his eyes, trying not to remember the look of terror on Lylla's face, or the hatred and anger in Kix's.

"Lylla gave me a choice," he whispered. "She was visiting Ciri when the order went out; I'm betting Jacob snuck her in. Kix and I were going through the nurseries and she was there. She-" he paused and took a deep breath before continuing "-she blocked a little boy from getting shot. I'm the one that shot her in the knee. She begged me not to kill them. She begged me to let them go. She told me-" he stopped again and Jia sat up.

"You don't need to tell me, Fives," she said softly. "I can just ask Kix or Lylla. Don't do this to yourself. You just got out of the bacta tank; save this for another day." Fives just shook his head.

"She told me I always have a choice." He squeezed his eyes tighter shut, trying to hold back the tears forming behind his eyelids. It all flashed back to him now.

* * *

_Almost mechanically, the ARC pointed his gun at the first of the children, a dark-skinned little boy, and fired._

"_No!" Lylla screamed, using her own body to block the boy. The laser hit her knee and she stumbled and fell into the clone. He caught her and then scrambled back, looking thoroughly confused and surprised._

"_Lylla?" there was hesitation in his voice._

"_Please, don't do this. They're just babies. Don't kill them. Kill me if you have to kill someone," she begged, desperately, looking up at them from her place on the ground._

"_Lylla," this time it was a statement, not a question, though hesitation and confusion still filled the clone's voice. Lylla seemed to realize he said her name and she blinked._

"_Yes, that's me, but please, just don't…," she trailed off as the clone pulled off his helmet, revealing a familiar face. She let out a gasp of relief. "Fives. Oh, thank goodness."_

"_Lylla," he said again, and this time there was some sort of emotion in his voice. He took a step back from her. "I'm not your friend this time." As his words sank in, she backed away from him, clutching Ciri to her chest and keeping the rest of the toddlers behind her._

_The medic watched, confused and a little hopeful, also popping off his helmet._

"_Please, no," her voice had fallen to a whisper. "They're just kids. Innocent. Harmless. Please…"_

_Fives was torn. He looked at his blaster, and then at Kix, the medic who saved lives, not took them; and then at the young woman standing before him, tears streaming down her face, desperately protecting and pleading for the life of the nameless children behind her, and her own baby._

_He had his duty to do, an order to follow, but he also knew killing the babies and Lylla in cold blood would be wrong. He remembered the birth of the beautiful little girl; how much happiness she had brought to everybody. He couldn't take that out of Lylla's life; that one, beautiful, smiling, always shining, always bright, always constant source of happiness and love. He knew that, above all else, Ciri was the young mother's reason for living. _

_Finally, he stepped to the side, and Lylla felt like she might pass out again, this time from relief, but she forced herself to be strong and steady for the children._

"_The others have left the hall for the moment. There is a side entrance that leads to a parking lot. Take a speeder. Find a ship. Whatever you do, don't go back to your apartment. They'll be looking for you," Fives said at last._

"_Oh, thank you, thank you," Lylla gasped, choking on her own words as she tried to force down the stream of emotions. "Come on," she coaxed the kids gently. She picked up the smallest of them, the dark-skinned little boy, besides Ciri and started to limp out of the room, but found Fives blocking her way again._

"_Only you and Ciri," he said stoically. _

"_What?" the medic, she remembered his name was Kix, snarled._

"_No, Fives, please, no," she started crying again. Fives forced himself to remain focused on his task. He had a duty to do, both to a friend and to the Chancellor._

"_Only you two," he repeated. Lylla opened her mouth to argue with him, but he cut her off. "Otherwise, I will have no choice but to kill you."_

"_There's always a choice, Fives," Lylla told him quietly, trying to get control of herself. "Always."_

* * *

"I only let her take Ciri and the little boy I tried to shoot." Jia placed a comforting hand on his cheek and he opened his eyes again, staring off at some distant point on the wall. "Jia, she gave me a choice, and I didn't make the right one."

"If you had made the choice you considered _wrong_, would you have been thrown in prison for treason?" Jia asked quietly. Fives met her gaze but didn't say anything. "Fives, it wasn't a choice Lylla gave you between right and wrong, it was a choice you gave yourself; between your duty to the government you swore your allegiance to and your duty to a friend. And what did you choose out of those two?"

"But I could have let her take the other ones, too," Fives said. "And I didn't."

"Lylla, Ciri, and the little boy- his name is Yamir- are safe," she told him. "Because of the choice you made." Fives just shook his head and Jia sighed. "Remember what I said to Baldy all those years ago in the brig? After you all rescued me from being his prisoner but thought I was responsible for 'Soka's kidnapping."

"You said a lot," Fives' attempt at levity brought a third half-grimace from Jia.

"I told him the difference between a terrorist, or in his case a bounty hunter, and a soldier is that a terrorist will kill to protect his rights; a soldier will die to defend someone else's," she reminded him. "You didn't kill to save your ass, you didn't kill to get Apple's approval, and you didn't kill because you were scared. You made the choice to let Lylla and Ciri live, and you risked your life to do it. You're not stupid, Fives. I know you knew you would be killed for the decision you made. You were willing to die so Lylla, Ciri, and a boy you didn't know could escape and live."

Fives nodded and swallowed hard. A single tear finally managed to eke its way out of his eye and down his cheek, and Jia wiped it away with the back of her hand.

"That's some very insightful stuff coming from an assassin who goes crazy with anger and needs to kill anyone who does her family wrong," Fives teased once he was sure his voice worked. Jia grinned, a real grin this time that was successful.

"I moonlight as a philosopher," she said, shrugging. Fives chuckled and shook his head.

"I would like to see her again, someday," he murmured, uncommonly thoughtful. Jia knew he meant Lylla. "I want to say sorry." Jia nodded.

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked when he didn't say anything else. Fives shook his head.

"I would like to stay on Mundali," he admitted. "If it's okay with you." Jia looked at him like he was a little crazy.

"Why are you asking my permission?" she asked curiously, then said before he could answer, "If staying here is what will make you happy, then by all means. But don't ground yourself on this planet just because you think you'd be a hindrance to me. I never leave anyone behind; you know that."

"It would make me happy, Jia," Fives told her seriously. Jia nodded and looked down at her lap. She didn't smile, but Fives could see the happiness and satisfaction shining in her blue eyes. She was happy for _him_, he realized, and satisfied because he had found something that would make _him_ happy.

"I'll come visit you," she lay back down and yawned. "But first I need to find Apple."

"Why?" Fives couldn't understand why she would want to see the man who raped her and killed Jax, unless she was going to…

"So I can kill him." Fives sighed.

"Someday, all of _this _that you do is going to catch up to you."

"I know," Jia said. "But until that day I'll keep doing all of _this._" Fives rolled his eyes.

"Can you ask Kalinda or Stonewall to come talk to me, please?" he asked. Jia raised an eyebrow.

"Kalinda?" she repeated. "You guys are on first names basis now?"

"Jia, she's married," Fives sighed. "She just doesn't like to be called by her surname." Jia laughed softly and gently flicked his arm to show that she was teasing.

"I could just talk to them instead," she suggested after a moment of quiet. "I don't think you'll be going anywhere anytime soon, and I'm betting you're going to have a lot of visitors." Fives was still as he thought, then he nodded. Jia returned the nod and closed her eyes. Within moments, they were both asleep.

* * *

Later that day Jia found the dark-haired woman, the one that had been pointed out to her as Kalinda when she had asked, talking with the Jedi Healer. In the daylight, Jia could see the Healer's hair was neither red nor orange, but a bright coppery color. She approached the two women and stood a ways off until there was a break in their conversation.

"Excuse me," she said politely, stepping forwards. They both looked at her and Jia continued. "Would it be okay if I spoke to Kalinda for a moment?" The dark-haired woman nodded and the Healer turned to leave. When she was gone, the woman turned to Jia.

"You're Jia, right?" the question wasn't rude, simply curious. Jia nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing as she tried to get a read off the Jedi. Kali offered her a smile that she didn't return. "How are you doing?" Jia kept her face blank, ignoring the question

"One of the men who came in with me, Fives, has asked if it would be okay if he stayed on Mundali," she told Kalinda, making sure her voice was neutral and respectful. She wasn't a big fan of Jedi, but the woman in front of her seemed okay. "Permanently."

The dark-haired woman looked thoughtful. "Fives…he was the ARC trooper, correct?" Jia answered with a curt nod and Kali continued. "How is he?"

"Well enough," Jia wasn't sure _how_ Fives was, and judging from their most recent conversation, not too good; mentally, at least. "But he is very anxious to know whether or not it would be okay if he stayed." The assassin managed to keep the impatient edge out of her voice, but she saw Kali's lips twitch as the woman fought a smile and figured that the Jedi could sense it.

"Of course," she said warmly. "He's welcome here as long as he would like to stay." She gave Jia a knowing look, which Jia returned evenly. "That goes for any of your crew. We mostly have clones and Force-sensitives here, but I'm reluctant to turn anyone away who needs a safe-haven from the Empire."

Jia nodded again, and some of her automatic dislike of Jedi turned into respect for this other woman. "If you wouldn't mind, Kalinda-" it felt odd calling an older woman by her first name as it went against the everyday etiquette her parents had ingrained into her "-I think Fives would like to hear it from you."

The Jedi smiled. "Then I suppose I have a visit to make."

Jia felt a smile twitching at the edges of her lips; maybe one day she would even be able to, not just respect Kalinda, but actually like her as well. With that thought, she bowed her head slightly, dismissing herself.

That was the first day she ate dinner with everyone else, though she was silent for most of the first half. She sat near some of the younger Mundali residents: cadets who seemed to be fifteen, maybe sixteen, and a blue-skinned Nautolan girl who looked like she was the about the same age.

The teens laughed and joked, and Jia couldn't help but remember when she used to be that young and care-free. One of the boys told a riddle and Jia listened closely; she liked riddles.

"A man in stuck in a concrete room," the boy said. "No doors, no windows; only a mirror and a table. How does he get out?" The others started complaining that it was a stupid riddle because it wasn't possible for the man to get out when Jia spoke up.

"He looks in the mirror, he sees what he saw, he takes the saw, cuts the table in half, two halves make a whole, he climbs through the hole." They all turned to look at her and she shrugged. "It's actually an easy riddle; just a play on words."

The boy who had told the riddle turned back to the others.

"See?" he asked somewhat smugly. "It's not impossible." The other boys started muttering under their breath and the Nautolan purposely avoided his gaze. Jia tipped her head to the side, watching the boy and the Nautolan closely, smiling when she figured out what was going on between them.

"You guys want another riddle?" she asked suddenly. They all looked at her again and she waggled her eyebrows mischievously. They glanced at each other and Jia told them anyways. "When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing. What is it?"

The teens glanced at each other again and began sharing ideas. Jia bit her lip to keep from smiling as she continued eating, waiting for their answer. Finally the Nautolan girl got her attention again.

"We're stuck," she said ruefully. Jia nodded.

"I expected as much," she admitted. She took another bite of her food before continuing. "The answer is 'a riddle.'" A moment of silence followed her words.

"No way," one of the boys muttered. Jia nodded again.

"Yes way," she said. "The problem was you were overthinking it. You have to take a step back and look at the big picture. Then, you will be able to solve riddles like that very easily." She winked at the group of disgruntled teens, finished her dinner, and stood up.

She made her way to a nice tall tree and studied it for a moment before she started climbing it. She kept going until the branches started getting too thin for comfort. Once she found a nice comfortably perch, she leaned back against the trunk and stared up at the sky. A few moments later, the leaves rustled and she was joined by the Nautolan girl.

"That was a good riddle," the girl said, settling down near Jia. The assassin glanced at her and nodded.

"Yeah, I like it." The girl didn't say anything, and neither did Jia. The silence was comfortable, and they remained that way for a while until Jia remembered something.

"There's an old myth where I come from," she began slowly, trying to recall all the details from a foggy memory of when she had only been six or seven, "about why the stars shine different colors."

The Nautolan looked at Jia, interest written on her young face.

"A long time ago, before advanced civilizations and technology ruled the different lands, the native people lived freely and in harmony with nature. The animals were their friends, and their teachers, but never their enemies. One animal in particular, Coyote, was wily and clever and like to deceive the people to teach them lessons. One day he heard a young woman lying to her tribe about how much food she had gathered. The woman said she had only gathered four baskets of berries, when in fact she had gathered five and eaten one on the way back to the tribe.

"Coyote was very displeased with this woman, so on the next time he saw the woman out, Coyote changed into a handsome young man and went to her. He talked to her and seduced her and tricked her into giving him one of her baskets of berries.

"'Won't they be mad you're sharing their food with a stranger?' he asked her. The woman smiled. 'They won't find out,' she said. That night, when the woman went back to her tribe and they counted out the berries; Coyote appeared, still as the young man. He told them what had happened in the forest and how she had lied before. When her tribe found out, they were very angry. They called on their ancestors to punish this woman for her disloyalty to the tribe.

"Coyote, being one of those ancestors, answered their calls right there. He tapped the woman on the forehead and said when she died her spirit would be stained blue, the color of the berries, and would live right overhead her tribe as a reminder of what happened to those who lied. Sure enough, when she died and her spirit left her body, it was a bright blue. It floated up to the sky and stayed stuck there forever. Now, all spirits are stained according to our actions. Blue is for the liars: the thieves, the cheaters, the criminals. Red is for the evil: killers, slavers, those who corrupt others. White is for the pure and the innocent; sweet, honest, and truthful. Yellow is for everyone else."

Jia ended the story, her gaze fixed on the stars shining overhead.

"What do you think your spirit would be colored?" the Nautolan asked. Jia sighed.

"I don't know," she answered. "I wouldn't be white or yellow, that's for sure." The girl opened her mouth again, and Jia guessed to ask why, so she spoke quickly. "What about you?"

"I would like to think my spirit will be white," she said. Jia gave her a soft smile.

"I would like to think so, too," she told the girl quietly.

Jia sighed again and shook her head; maybe her anger would stain her spirit red. _"Let go of your anger,"_ Viz had said. She was naturally a very angry person, though. It would be a while before she let go of anything.

* * *

_This chapter is a little longer than the past few... hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know what you think of Jia's, er, instability. I hope the reason behind the slight character change was explained. If not, just say so and I will fix it. :)_


	18. Almost There

**Almost There**

The next day Jia found Viz with the group of clone boys, teaching them the correct way to throw a knife from a distance of ten feet or more. She waited until he gave them the signal to practice and approached him.

"What is all this?" Viz grinned at her.

"Just passing on some useful skills," he said. Jia rolled her eyes.

"Okay, whatever," she snorted. "I want to have a meeting with you all."

"'You all' being who, exactly?" Viz asked.

"Everyone who came with us," Jia answered, watching as one of the boys threw his knife and missed the target completely. She choked back a laugh and walked up to him. "Do you mind if I try?" He looked at her for a moment before mutely stepping back and handing her another knife. She stood still for a moment, weighing it in her hand.

"You gonna throw it or what?" Viz teased. Jia didn't respond as she continued to study the weapon in her hand. After a few minutes, Viz grew impatient. "Jia, come on. Just throw it al…" He trailed off when Jia suddenly let go of the knife, propelling it away from her with just a flick of her wrist. It spun through the air and the three of them- the boy, herself, and Viz- watched it go. It disappeared after a moment and Viz turned to smirk at Jia. "You missed."

Jia raised an eyebrow. "Did I?" she asked. She nodded to the boy. "Go check the target." The boy scampered off obediently and Jia and Viz waited in silence.

"It's not here," he called to them after a moment.

"Look up," Jia directed. Slowly he tipped his head back and a glint of light off the blade caught his eye. The knife was stuck in the underside of the branch _above _the target. He gaped at Jia.

"No way," she recognized him now as the first one who had responded to her riddle the night before. "You threw it straight. I saw you." Jia shrugged mysteriously.

"Bring it back to me and I'll show you how I did it." She turned to Viz and saw he was shaking his head slightly. "What?"

"You were just showing off," he sighed. Jia gave him the 'duh' look.

"Of course I was," she said. The boy returned with the knife and she ignored Viz again. She pointed out his flaws the other times he had thrown the knife and told him what to do this time. As the boy took aim, hard determination in every feature, Viz gently touched Jia's shoulder to get her attention again.

"What is it with you and knives?" he asked. Jia blinked at him and he elaborated. "When I first met you, that's the only weapon you used. You always have one, well had one, on you. You're an expert on how to use them in combat and for just everyday life. What's the explanation?" Jia and Viz watched as the boy threw the knife, not hitting the branch but managing to hit the target.

"All of us on a team had specialties," she explained slowly. She trusted Viz, and Wolffe couldn't hurt her anymore, but she had kept the secrets buried for so long they were still slightly painful to reveal. "Eagle was big guns and explosives. He liked things that made a lot of noise and a lot of light and distraction. Red was concealed weapons. That boy could be packing twenty-some different, uh, _deadly instruments_, most of them illegal, and you wouldn't know. He liked whips, grappling chains, and knives. Things that could be used in the middle of the night and not wake anyone up. Mine was specifically knives and, well pretty much guessing people's thoughts from the way they acted; and later marksmanship. Sniping. I know how to use just about any type of knife there is out there. I can throw them, juggle them, use them to make dinner; you name it, I can do it. My training as a sniper helps with the 'aiming and hitting the target' part."

Viz was quiet for a moment.

"I didn't know you all had certain skillsets," he said after a moment. Jia shrugged.

"Isn't- wasn't it that way in the GAR?"

"Yeah, but we were specifically trained for our roles," Viz struggled to explain the difference as he saw it. "You were just a group of civilians who were pissed enough at the world that you were willing to start killing people."

"We still got training," Jia reminded him. "Swirl and T were the Deadly Duo, as we liked to call them. One liked explosives and to play games with people; the other like anything that could kill someone. They were crazier than me."

"What about Willow?" Viz was curious now. Jia's lip curled up into an ugly smile.

"Willow… well, there's a reason I've always referred to her as "the best-of-the-best." She did everything. And I mean _everything._ She spoke twenty different languages, she could turn a light switch embedded in a wall into a lethal weapon. She worked in encryption and decoding; she hacked computers and government agencies," Jia paused and continued, her smiling turning from ugly to amused. "She once managed to cause a major city to lose power from behind a computer screen." She glanced up at Viz. "Any more questions about my assassin friends?"

"Yeah, one more," Viz said. He stared directly into Jia's eyes. "Who got the last laugh: you, for surviving Wolffe and continuing to live, or Wolffe, for taking with him the last two people you really loved when he was killed?" Jia froze and stared at Viz for a long moment before turning and walking away.

"You should've asked Jax when you could," she paused and looked at him over her shoulder. "He's probably the only one who knew, because even I don't."

* * *

The other refugees were gathered around the table that usually served as the dinner table. All of Shadow Squad, minus Jax, were present, along with Coric, Chopper, Kix, Fox, and the other clones that had been in the cell- Jia still hadn't bothered to learn their names. The only one missing was Fives, and Jia knew he was more than a little frustrated about not being able to attend the meeting, but she had promised to fill him in on everything later.

"Hey, guys, listen up real quick," she spoke loud enough to get everyone's attention, but not so she was shouting. "I know you all have one thing or another you want to get back to, so I'll talk fast.

"As you all know by now, Fives has requested to stay here permanently and has been welcomed by the residents with open arms. When I spoke with Kalinda, she said anyone and everyone was welcome to stay for as long as they like. So, I have a question: who here wants to stay here?"

Silence followed her question and everyone glanced around at each other. Finally Viz spoke up.

"I'll be staying," he announced. "I'll go with Jia when she leaves because I have something I need to give to Lylla, but after that I'm coming back here, and I'm staying here." Shadow Squad shifted uncomfortably.

"This will be the first time our squad's ever been separated," Tenger said softly. Havet shook his head.

"No, remember when Jax went on that classified spec ops mission?" he reminded them. "He wasn't even allowed to tell us about it."

"He told me about it," Jia said. Everyone turned to look at her and she bit the inside of her cheek. "Never mind."

"Viz, you know what I mean," Tenger sighed. "We've never been significantly split."

"You planning on going somewhere, vod?" Peixe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but I know you are," Tenger shot at his brother. Peixe grinned and gave a false bow.

"You know me too well." Jia rolled her eyes.

"Guys!" she snapped. "Focus!" Silence ensued once more and Jia watched as Kix and Coric had a silent conversation.

"Coric and I will stay," he said. Chopper nodded.

"Me, too."

Fox shook his head.

"Not me, guys," he looked at his fellow 501st brothers. "Sorry, but I gotta keep moving."

"Don't be sorry," Jia chastised gently. "You make your own choices, and screw what anyone else thinks." Viz let out a snort of laughter and shook his head slightly.

"I'll stay with Tenger," Zjarr spoke over Viz as he opened his mouth to make a smart comment to Jia. Ouro glanced at Havet and they shook their heads in unison but didn't say anything. Jia assumed that meant they were leaving.

There were three more who hadn't decided, the refugees Jia didn't know. Two decided to stay. One decided to leave. She nodded and smiled.

"Alright guys," she said, "I will go and inform… someone." With that, everyone got up and returned to what they had previously been doing.

* * *

Jia found Kalinda sitting with one of the many clones living on Mundali and a little boy. She figured from the way Kalinda and the clone were interacting that they were dating, more likely married since the little boy was no doubt theirs. She could see features of both parents evident in his tiny face. She didn't want to disturb them from their "family time," so turned to leave.

"Did you need something, Jia?" Jia paused and mentally cursed. So much for not disturbing them. She turned back around and approached the family.

"I spoke with the men who came here with me," she began without preamble. "All of them, save four, would like to stay." Kalinda smiled.

"I'm glad," she said. Jia returned the smile barely and nodded at the little boy.

"Your child is…" she trailed off, not sure how to finish. _Beautiful. Innocent. Full of hope and wonder._ Kalinda studied Jia closely as the assassin continued in a soft, quiet voice. "I have a son." That was all she said. Then the little boy looked directly at Jia and her eyes narrowed slightly. "He's Force sensitive; yours, not mine." It wasn't a question. The clone was the one who responded.

"Yes, he is," he said proudly. Jia nodded her head again and then extended her hand to the clone.

"Jiana Sasha White," she introduced herself. He shook her hand.

"Stonewall." Jia paused and tipped her head to the side, scrutinizing Stonewall closely.

"You're Force sensitive, too." Again, it wasn't a question.

"You aren't," Kalinda said. Jia acknowledged what the other woman said with a tip of her head. "And you haven't spent much time around us "natives"… how can you tell?

"All Force-sensitives have a way about them," she answered. "I'm very good at reading people, and I've spent considerable time around Jedi and Force-using children." This conversation was straying slightly off-topic and Jia shook her head slightly to clear it. "Anyways, I've spoken to Traxis and Ares and we'll be leaving in about three days. Peixe, Ouro, Havet, and one of the other refugees will be leaving with me. And Viz, but he'll be coming back."

She glanced at the little boy again and a bittersweet smile crept its way onto her face before she turned and left, not giving Kalinda or Stonewall a chance to respond.

It wasn't that she disliked either of them. At this point, her respect for the Jedi woman was growing by the hour as Jia saw what she trying to run and make work. It was that they reminded her too much of her own parents. What she had told Viz about her parents hadn't been completely accurate.

Her parents had in fact been there for their children as much as they possibly could, but one or the other was almost always deployed. And when they weren't deployed they worked most of the day on base. Being the older one out of her and Gavin, and the stronger one out of her and Kayla, she had naturally matured faster to take care of her two siblings.

Seeing Kalinda and Stonewall just _sitting_ together with their child made her wish for a life she knew she could never have.

Jia let out a wordless growl and shook her head again. Too many thoughts and emotions crowded her heart and mind, and it was starting to become too much to handle. Without thinking, she made a beeline for the spring and dove straight in, not bothering to remove her clothing. She wasn't alone at the spring, but she was left alone and that was good enough.

Until someone was suddenly dragging her back towards the shore.

Jia didn't cry out, but she did turn to fight off whoever it was. She saw it was Viz grinning at her mischievously and rolled her eyes.

"What now?" she asked when her head broke the surface again.

"You're getting a call," Viz said, "from a _very_ important person." Jia narrowed her eyes suspiciously at that but followed him out of the water and back to the settlement. Viz led her to his soon-to-be-permanent room and tossed her a comlink. Still suspicious, she activated it, dropping it surprise when a familiar, armored form blossomed small and blue.

"_Baldy_?" Fett didn't react outwardly, but Jia could imagine him grimacing behind his helmet. "What do you need?"

"I found Kino." His voice was flat and emotionless and Jia was slightly confused before she remembered that he acted this way around everyone _but_ her. She jerked her head towards the door, and Viz sighed but left the room. As soon as he did, the bounty hunter removed his helmet and almost smiled at Jia. "I thought you would be dead."

"Yeah, me too," she said. "So how'd you know I was out of prison?"

"The bounty on you increased about by 500,000 credits," Fett answered. Jia groaned.

"Guess I had that coming to me," she sighed. "Anyways, what do you mean 'you found Kino'?"

"He's on Mandalore." Jia blinked. That wasn't the answer she had been expecting.

"Why would Lylla take him to Mandalore?" Fett looked at her like she was stupid.

"You sent her and pretty boy away with a group of _Mandalorians_," he over-enunciated the last word and Jia made a face at him. "Think, Blondie."

"Shut up, _Baldy_," she grumbled. Fett sighed.

"I hate that name," he complained. "I'm not bald anymore." Jia smirked at him.

"Fine," she said. "How's life, Hairy?" The bounty hunter glared at her and she knew that if they were in the same room, he would have pulled a weapon on her by now. Of course, she wouldn't have been far behind him.

"Where are you?" he asked after a moment. Jia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please," she snorted. "You seriously expect me to tell you where I'm hiding out after escaping the Empire? I don't think so, bubba." There was a pause and Jia remembered something. "Hey, you still have my backpack, yeah?" Fett nodded and she grinned. "Good. And you still haven't answered my question about how you know where Kino is."

"I don't need to tell you," Fett pointed out. Jia returned his glare and moved her hand to cut the connection when the bounty hunter spoke again. "I'll see you soon, Blondie." Jia raised her eyebrow in a non-questioning way and snorted again.

"Don't bet on it, Hairy."

"You forget that the only reason I haven't taken the job on your capture is because you told me you would bring Kino to see me," Fett reminded her of the leverage he had over her and she ground her teeth.

"I hate you," she growled. Fett nodded, almost smiling again.

"I know." Jia ended the call and threw the comlink onto Viz's bed.

She exited his room and went to find Traxis and Ares. She had to tell them they were going to Mandalore.

* * *

Three days later Jia was visiting Fives for the last time for a while. They talked and joked for hours; he even went so far as to flirt with her, and not subtly at that. Jia could tell, though, it was just for fun. When Honi finally kicked her out, she gave Fives one last kiss on the cheek and looked at him sternly.

"Don't over-do yourself on that leg," she ordered. The ARC just laughed and told her to get going. Outside near the ship she gave hugs and kisses to those of Shadow Squad and the 501st who weren't coming. She thanked Kalinda for allowing her home to be a temporary safe haven and all those leaving promised not to reveal the coordinates of Mundali.

Jia had never liked good-byes, but she managed to make it through without losing control over her emotions; though she didn't know how long that control would last.

The trip was shorter than the one to Mundali had been, and the passengers spent most of the way sitting in silence. Halfway there Jia opened an encrypted channel to Lylla and held her breath, waiting for her friend to pick up.

"Hello?" the voice was soft and hesitant, but none-the-less Lylla's.

"Archangel, checking in. I think passed the deadline by which I was supposed to report in to HQ," Jia said, fighting to keep the grin out of her voice. She heard Lylla's gasp and exclamation of delight.

"Where the hell have you been?" the mother asked.

"Easy, Ly," Jia couldn't help but laugh at her friend. "I'm on my way to Mandalore. We're going to be landing right outside the edge of the city. Near some dam or canal or something." There was a pause and Jia heard different voices, _male_ voices, in the background.

"How many clones do you have with you?" Lylla asked after a moment.

"Five, though one is only here as a messenger," Jia answered.

"Who's the message from?" Jia glanced at Viz and he shook his head.

"It's a surprise, Ly." Lylla let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she laughed. There was another pause, then, "Fett called." Jia swallowed.

"About what?" she almost didn't want to know.

"Kino," Lylla's voice was curious. "Something about a deal you two made… are you using your son as- as a _bargaining chip_?" Jia winced.

"I only promised him I would let him see Kino if he helped me out with Shadow," she explained after a moment. Lylla sighed again.

"Jiana Sasha White," she began chastising in her "mother" voice. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Jia choked back a snicker.

"Aww, you know," she said casually. "Got shot a few times; blown up once or twice. It makes me a little unstable. I think I suffered some brain damage." She could imagine Lylla shaking her head.

"Okay, well, we'll meet you there, yes?"

"Sounds good," Jia agreed. "See you soon."

"Unfortunately," Lylla teased and Jia ended the call. She glanced around at her companions, all of who had been listening to the conversation with interest. She took a deep breath and held out her hand to Viz. He knew what she wanted without her having to say anything; he tossed her the jackknife. She caught it and tucked it between her belt and pants.

They were going to their new home. It was at the same time terrifying and exhilarating.

"Home sweet home," Jia murmured, and Peixe's lip curled up slightly in a smile. "Almost there."

* * *

_This might be the last chapter for a while. I got accepted into an Early College and am at the school for the majority of the day; I leave at 7:30 and don't get back until 6:15. On top of that I have about two hours worth of homework everyday and on weekends. I'll be able to write on long weekends and holidays, but that's it. The updates will be less frequent; I apologize._

_Anyways, you guys know the drill: let me know what you think! :)_


	19. Minus One

**Minus One**

The first thing Jia noticed when they pulled up at the place she had overheard called Kyrimorut was that Prima and a six-legged, square-headed creature were standing near the entrance to the bastion, almost as if they were playing watch-dogs. The next thing she noticed was that Maddison was sitting cross-legged in the snow next to Prima, drawing designs absent-mindedly in the white crystals. The third thing was Lylla and Derek approaching with four squirming children.

Her eyes were instantly drawn to Kino. Almost as if sensing her gaze, the blonde-haired baby looked over at her curiously, his blue eyes alight with curiosity and wonder. Jia couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as she jumped out of the speeder before it had completely stopped and raced over to her family.

In the next instant, Kino was cradled in her arms, his sweet baby scent tickling her nose. Jia simply stared down at her child for a few moments and he stared back, identical pairs of blue eyes meeting and refusing to look away. Finally Jia looked up at Lylla and Derek, her smile widening.

Lylla returned the smile and gave Jia as best a hug as she could while holding the wriggling Briley. Jia shifted Kino to her hip and leaned into her best friend, burying her face in Lylla's neck.

"Hey, Ly," she mumbled. Lylla just laughed and then sniffled.

"Oh, Force," she muttered, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand. "I don't even have a reason to be crying."

"Stress relief," was Jia's simple reply, and Lylla rolled her eyes.

Derek was the next one to get a hug, accompanied by a kiss on the cheek. He grinned kindly at her and returned the kiss on her forehead. "Good to see you're still alive."

Jia laughed, her grip tightening on Kino as he leaned dangerously forward to grab for a necklace Lylla was wearing. "It's good to be alive."

She was aware of Lylla moving off to greet Viz and the others that had come with her, but her main focus was the man in front of her. Suddenly there was a timid tug on her arm. Jia looked down and saw Maddison standing awkwardly beside her, shifting her weight from foot-to-foot nervously.

Jia offered the young girl a gentle, soothing smile. "Hello, Maddie."

Maddison stilled at her voice and then she broke into huge sobs that wracked through her tiny frame. She threw herself at the assassin woman and clung to her leg for dear life.

"I thought you would hate me," she blubbered. "I was so mean; I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Jia crouched down, facing the girl. "Why would I hate you?" she asked quietly, a sense of déjà vu coming over her at the question. She had asked Kayla that all those years ago in the hospital. Maddison shook her head and Jia pulled her into a one-armed hug, still clutching Kino to her side. "Well I don't. I will never hate you, ever." Maddison nodded and sniffled.

"I love you," she whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around Jia's neck. "I missed you." Jia smiled and kissed the top of Maddison's head.

"I missed you, too," she said. "And I bet I love you more."

* * *

Finally, after many hugs and kisses and tears, Jia and the clones got inside the bastion. They were taken to what looked like the main living room, and once there Ciri and a dark-haired little boy were set down. Ciri looked around curiously before stopping her gaze at Jia.

"Tia Jia," she squealed, toddling over to the assassin. Jia laughed and ruffled the girl's hair.

"Hi, mihijita," she greeted. Lylla rolled her eyes again.

"Stop teaching my daughter a language she won't be able to speak around anyone _but_ you," she sighed. Jia just stuck her tongue out at the mother and Derek choked back a laugh.

Prima trotted into the room and made her way straight to Jia. Jia rubbed the animal's fur and kissed her head. "Hey, Prima."

"Jia, Jia," Maddison vied for her attention, scrambling into the assassin's lap.

"Yes, Maddie?"

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"There's other Jedi here!"

Jia blinked at Maddison's excited outburst before smiling. "More than one Jedi is good, yes?"

"It can be," a new voice joined the conversation. Jia turned her head to see an older man in sandy-colored armor entering the room. Out of respect, she stood when he entered and offered her hand, still balancing Kino- now asleep- on her waist.

"Jiana Sasha White," she introduced herself. The man returned her handshake.

"Kal Skirata." Jia paused at his name, something that did not go unnoticed by any of the clones or the man himself. "Is something wrong?"

"I know your name," she answered, her eyes narrowing as she tried to remember. "I just forget from where."

"Mr. Kal is the one who works with the Null clones, or whatever they're called," Lylla piped up helpfully. Jia just shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," she decided. She turned her attention back to Skirata. "Thank you for letting us stay here. I know you did not set this up for fugitive civilians."

Skirata just nodded his head once in both agreement and acknowledgement before turning and making his way to the edge of the room.

"You cut your hair," Maddison said suddenly. Jia sank down onto the sofa once more, settling Kino on her lap and snuggling Maddison into her side.

"_I _didn't cut it," she sighed. Lylla sat down beside Jia, cradling Briley to her chest.

"So who did?" she asked. "And whoever it was did horribly."

Jia let out a dark laugh. "Yeah, I know. It was that Commander of the 501st. Apple, or whatever his name is. He cut it during my interrogation, deciding it was a safety hazard."

At the mention of Appo, the resident clones and Skirata had perked up slightly. One of them spoke up, his eyes friendly and curious.

"Why were you being interrogated?"

"I might possibly be behind the Shadow attacks," Jia answered, grinning sheepishly. "And I might also have pissed Vader, or Skywalker, or whatever the hell he goes by these days, off."

Lylla looked down at her lap and swallowed before returning her gaze to Jia's face.

"Jia, what else did he do to you?" she asked softly. Jia stiffened, but shook her head.

"Nothing."

Lylla glanced around at the children. "Derek, can you take the kids to our room. I think it's time for their nap." Derek, understanding what she was trying to say, nodded and led the little ones out of the main living room. Lylla looked back at Jia.

"Jiana Sasha White, I know you. You never smile this much. You never cut your hair so ugly. And you never look as broken as you do now. So tell me: what the hell happened to you in prison?"

"Nothing, Lylla," Jia repeated, her tone slightly aggravated. "Nothing."

"Jia!" Lylla cried, exasperated. Jia's eyes flashed and she started to her feet, her emotions still high-strung from Jax's death; and Lylla's persistence wasn't helping.

"He raped me!" she snapped. "He beat me. He tortured me. He tortured _my friends_. God, Lylla, he almost hamstrung Fives in front of me!" She ran a hand through her hair in an aggravated manor and shook her head again. "I was in _prison_. What do you _think_ happened? And now that you know, are you happy?"

Lylla sighed and closed her eyes, reclining on the sofa. At the moment, nothing else mattered except her and her best friend. Everyone else in the room was non-existent, as far as the two of them were concerned.

"Jia, there's something else," she said, her voice low and calming. "You've been tortured before. You know how to get through it. But something else is wrong with you."

Jia just shook her head once more and started pacing. "I can't tell you that, Ly. I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Lylla asked, opening her eyes and watching Jia pace.

"Because," Jia paused and swallowed, her voice thick when she continued. "Because it will break you like it did me."

Concerned, Lylla stood up and forced Jia to stop pacing. "What. Happened?"

Jia let out a long breath before finally meeting Lylla's gaze. "Jax is dead, Lylla. He died getting us out of prison."

Lylla stumbled away from Jia, and blinked rapidly. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. The room was spinning around her and nothing made sense anymore. It was like the world had been thrown off-balance and was struggling to find it again.

And then came the pain. The massive, crushing, suffocating heartache that had her falling non-too-graceful in a heap on the floor. She wanted to yell, to scream, to break something, anything. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to be hateful. She wanted to want revenge.

But all she felt were the tears rolling down her face and the little gasps of air that were the only thing she could take in.

"That's not possible," she gulped. "He promised. He promised he would come back to me and Ciri and Briley! _He promised!_" Lylla looked at Jia, who was on her knees beside her, and saw the assassin nodding.

"I know, Ly," she murmured. "I know." Lylla started trembling violently.

"No you don't!" she spat at Jia. "It's your fault! It's all _your fault!_You stupid, selfish _bitch!"_

Jia flinched visibly but nodded again. "I know," she repeated. Lylla stared wide-eyed at the assassin for a moment before bowing her head.

"I'm sorry, Jia," she sobbed. "It's not your fault. It's someone's, but it isn't yours."

"It is my fault, Lylla," Jia said quietly. "It is my fault."

Derek returned to the living room, pausing at the scene in front of him. He made his way over to Lylla and Jia and crouched down beside Jia, placing a hand comfortingly on her back.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Jax is dead," Lylla choked out. Derek's eyes widened in shock and he turned to look at Jia, who had tears slowly dribbling down her face.

"And it's all my fault," the assassin whispered.

"Jia, he knew the risks." Viz finally spoke up. "We all knew the risks."

"I trained you to be loyal to your family first, everyone else second," Jia argued weakly. "I trained you. It's my training that brought you guys to rescue me and everyone else."

"Jia, what was that first rule you told us on the rescue mission?" Viz asked, somewhat sharply. Derek shot the clone a quick glare, but his look was ignored.

"Either succeed or die trying," Lylla answered in a whimper for Jia. Jia simply bowed her head and Derek pulled her into his side.

Viz nodded and sat down next to Lylla. "He did his job, and he did it for you; for all of us."

"It's not fair," Jia choked out. Derek hugged her tighter and she molded limply to his body. Viz was quiet, trying to figure out a response, but Lylla spoke up before he could.

"Oh, Force," the young mother groaned. "What do I tell Ciri? She was expecting her Baba to come home. And now-" Lylla broke off, choking on a sob, and Viz picked her up off the floor and sat on the sofa, cradling his sister-in-law against his chest, trying to lend her some of his strength "-now he never will. He's never coming home."

Lylla looked up at Viz, her face tear-stained and blotchy. "He's never coming home, Viz," she whispered. She moved her gaze down to the ring on her finger and her shoulders lurched as she tried to hold in another sob. "Jax is never going to get to meet Briley, or see Ciri or me again. He's never going to see his little girls grow up. He's never going to kiss them goodnight. He's _never coming home."_

* * *

_Took, what? Two months? But here's the next piece. Jax's death is finally catching up to everyone. I know it's short, but it's the best I could do. Anywho, tell me what you think! :)_


End file.
